Metamorphosis
by Samantha20
Summary: Just after Survivor Series one of the divas is invited to join Evolution. Lita/ Hunter Triple H
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I really can't decide whether or not I love Evolution, or hate them.  
  
This story takes places just after Survivor Series.  
  
Samantha  
  
Ch1.  
  
"Come on guys, she's hot, and she could hold the women's title for us, then Evolution would be able say we really have all the gold on RAW." Triple H told the other members of Evolution.  
  
"I don't know Champ, she's a little... temperamental. Do you really think she could be a part of Evolution?" Ric asked him.  
  
"I'm willing to give it a shot." Randy shrugged. "She's a good wrestler, and you're right, she's hot."  
  
"Not to mention a team player." Batista reminded them.  
  
"Votes are in then. What's it going to be, in or out?" Triple H asked the three men.  
  
"In." Randy nodded.  
  
"I say in." Batista added.  
  
"I'm still a little on the fence for this one." Ric told them. "But I'm willing to say in, as long as I can reserve the right to say I told you so."  
  
"Fine. It looks like we have a new member then." Triple H announced. "Let's go and give her an invitation."  
  
"So what makes you think she'll be so keen to join us?" Randy asked.  
  
"Steve got fired. She's got two choices, sleep with Eric, or get fired. We're going to offer her an out. It she joins us, he won't proposition her again. He's not dumb enough to cross Evolution."  
  
As they rounded a corner, someone bumped into them, which knocked all of the things in her arms flying.  
  
"Lita." Batista said, surprised, reaching down to help her to her feet.  
  
"Are you okay?" Hunter asked as she brushed herself off and straightened up.  
  
"I am having a really bad night, not that you would care." She snapped, bending down to pick up the papers she'd dropped.  
  
"Don't." Hunter reached out and pulled her back into a standing position. "Randy, could you pick up Lita's things for her."  
  
She eyed him curiously. "What do you want?"  
  
"How come you're having a bad night?" Batista asked sounding interested.  
  
"I've been hit on by about ten different guys since I got here, about an hour ago. If I didn't know better I'd say I was walking around topless or something." She answered.  
  
Hunter smirked at her comment. "We were just talking about you."  
  
"Really?" She asked sarcastically. "What about? The fact that I'll probably get fired tonight, the fact that people are taking bets on it, or the fact I was cheated out of the Women's Title?"  
  
"One and three." Ric told her.  
  
"Are people really taking bets?" Randy asked, while Lita shot him an icy glare.  
  
"Step in here with us." Hunter gestured to an empty locker room.  
  
"If it involves me taking my clothes off, or performing lap dances of any kind, then go to hell. I've got better things to do with my time." She answered frankly as Randy finished collecting her things from the floor.  
  
"It's a business proposition." Hunter told her.  
  
"Again, I am not taking my clothes off for you, or for anyone else."  
  
"Just come in and listen." He told her patiently. "If you don't like what you hear, then you can leave and we'll never bring it up again."  
  
Lita just stared at him for a moment.  
  
"I promise that you won't be asked to take your clothes off." Hunter told her.  
  
"I'll carry these for you." Randy told her, allowing her to move into the room first.  
  
Not yet dressed in her wrestling clothes Lita wore a tiny mini skirt and a pair of knee high boots, her flat, muscled stomach emphasized by the figure hugging, midriff baring t-shirt she wore.  
  
Both curious and a little worried about what the four men wanted with her, she decided to try and throw them off-guard.  
  
Reaching over to the pile of her belongings in Randy's arms she picked up a small purse producing a nail file, and began to do her nails, sitting up on a high bench, knowing that if any of the men got on the right angle, they would be able to see almost right up her skirt, several extra inches of smooth, tanned skin visible where the material had pulled up.  
  
"Where were you going with all of this stuff?" Randy asked, putting it down next to her. "It's kind of heavy."  
  
"Sometimes you just need to move stuff around." She answered cryptically, crossing her legs, and bouncing the one on top slightly, feeling a note of satisfaction as the four men were transfixed by it for several moments.  
  
"So what did you want?" Lita asked them, filing the index finger nail on her left hand.  
  
"To make you an offer." Hunter began. "We know that things are about to get a whole lot more difficult for you on RAW, and we thought we'd offer you some assistance, as long as you're willing to offer us yours."  
  
"Keep talking." She answered.  
  
"It's no big secret that Eric is either going to sleep with you tonight, or fire you." Ric told her.  
  
"You're telling this to the wrong person." Lita told them. "I know all of this, and tonight, I'll join Steve and Mark as former employees of the WWE, unless I decide I want to go back to SMACKDOWN, which seeing as though Matt is there and ready to make my life a living hell, it isn't really likely."  
  
"You seem to be taking this well." Hunter observed.  
  
"It's resignation, believe me. Any job that requires me to sleep with someone in order to keep it is not a job I want to keep. I have too much pride and too much self-respect for that. I still don't know where you're going with this though."  
  
"What if I told you that you could keep your job, and not have to sleep with Eric?" He told her.  
  
"I'd say you've interested me, so I'll bite." She told him. "Tell me more."  
  
"Eric won't cross us, Evolution is too powerful now."  
  
"I'm still waiting to hear the part that effects me." Lita told him, repositioning her legs, her bare skin a little chilled in the cooling air.  
  
"We're going to extend to you an invitation." Hunter told her. "An invitation to join Evolution."  
  
"Why me?"  
  
"Because over the last few weeks, you've managed to impress us." Ric told her.  
  
"What's in it for you?"  
  
"Gold. We want you to hold the Women's Title as a member of Evolution." Hunter told her.  
  
"What's the catch?" She asked skeptically.  
  
"No catch. You join us and win the Women's Title, that's all." Randy told her.  
  
"There's always a catch." She told him. "When you grow up a little more you'll realize that."  
  
"There isn't one." Hunter promised her. "This is a mutually beneficial business arrangement."  
  
"As long as it stays business." She arched her eyebrows at them.  
  
"Does that mean you're in?" Ric asked.  
  
"Suppose we don't get along, or it doesn't work out, what happens then?"  
  
"Then we dissolve the arrangement. No harm, no foul."  
  
"When do you need an answer?" Lita asked them.  
  
"Can't you just give us one now?" Randy asked.  
  
"I want to call someone and run the idea past them." She told them. "Can I give you an answer in a few minutes?"  
  
"Do you want us to leave?" Hunter asked, trying to be polite.  
  
"Only if you speak Spanish." Lita told them, picking up her cell phone and hitting speed dial 1.  
  
"Who are you calling, if you don't mind me asking?" Ric asked.  
  
"My mother." She turned away from them, speaking in rapid Spanish, getting up off the table to pace the room as she spoke, waving her right hand emphatically as she spoke. "Te amo tambien, mama." She finished the tone in her voice changing, becoming gentler, before she closed the phone, and walked back over to them.  
  
"What was that last bit about?" Hunter asked, amused.  
  
"My mother told me she loved me, and I told her I loved her too."  
  
"I can't believe you talked to your mom before making a decision." Randy chuckled.  
  
"Mama is a pretty wise lady." Lita told him, "If you're lucky maybe one day you'll meet her."  
  
"So are you in or out?"  
  
"I'm not going to have to turn against my friends am I?" She asked, answering his question with another question.  
  
"Not unless you feel it's necessary." Batista told her.  
  
"All right then, I'm in." She held her hand out to Hunter, which he shook, sealing the deal.  
  
"Keep it quiet." Hunter advised her. "We'll announce it during your spot tonight."  
  
"The Highlight Reel is not a spot." Lita told him. "It's a brawl."  
  
The four men chuckled. "We'll be watching just off the top of the ramp." Batista told her. "If anything goes wrong, we'll be there."  
  
"One more thing." She said to them. "I still want my own music. I don't mind if the video clip gets changed, but I've walked out under my song for a long time and I don't really want that to change."  
  
"That could work." Randy said to the others. "We could play it off as she is more than Evolved."  
  
"More than Evolved?" Lita asked, "Do I even want to know where this is going?"  
  
"You are incredibly beautiful." Randy told her.  
  
"And you are incredibly forward." Lita told him.  
  
"Why don't we push her as being some kind of highly-Evolved goddess." Randy finished.  
  
"You need to get out more Randy. I don't do gimmicks, not after what went down in Team Xtreme. I'll never be more or less than what I am. I can't compromise myself again."  
  
"What exactly are you?" Ric asked.  
  
"Just a girl making her way. Alejandra and Antoine's daughter, Trish's best friend, Jeff's adopted sister."  
  
"Matt's ex-girlfriend?" Batista suggested.  
  
"I try not to let my relationships with men define me as a person." She told him. "And don't ever mention Matt to me again or you may find yourself in a great deal of pain."  
  
"Bad break up?" Hunter sympathized.  
  
"The worst." She agreed. "I'm not in the market for any one new. I don't think I will be for a long time."  
  
"A little defensive aren't we?" Randy asked.  
  
"Just setting some boundaries. I'd better go and get changed." She shrugged and moved to walk out of the room.  
  
"Lita?" She turned as Hunter called her name. "You forgot your stuff."  
  
The tall brunette walked back to the bench, rifling through the papers "You know, some of this stuff might interest you. It's all stuff left over from when I was writing my book, you know, photos, anecdotes. I've been giving stuff to people for weeks, this is the last lot." Lita told him, producing a handful of photographs and handed them to Hunter. "Do you remember when we all went to the carnival on the harbor in Los Angeles?"  
  
Hunter's face brightened as he began to flick through the photographs. "I'd forgotten about this day." He paused at a picture of him and Stephanie on some kind of roller coaster. "Do you remember how this one got taken?" He held one picture out to her.  
  
"I took that from Matt's shoulders." She smiled. "He kept moving so I almost didn't get that photo. Just after I took it he dropped me. First time I was ever afraid when I was with him."  
  
"Love's a funny thing." Hunter observed.  
  
"Especially the kind we had with Steph and Matt." Lita told him. "Great love is wild and passionate and dangerous. But in the end it consumes everything, and leaves nothing to be salvaged."  
  
The four men stared at her for a moment. "Not a bad analysis." Ric told her, "For someone who's barely an adult herself."  
  
"You don't need to be an adult to fall in love Ric." She told him. "And for the record, I'm twenty-eight. I'd better actually get going this time." Lita picked up the pile of papers and other things and left.  
  
************  
  
Lita walked down to the ring, still in her mini skirt and top, having changed her shoes to her wrestling boots just in case she needed to fight.  
  
She looked up at Jericho who waited for her in the ring, slightly surprised as he sat on the second rope, pulling the top rope up so that she could step through easily. He then gestured for her to take a seat on one of the stools.  
  
"So, Lita it's been a pretty busy few weeks for you." He began, "Your wrestling come back, book signings, promotions for Survivor Series."  
  
"I am well aware of all of that." She told him.  
  
"Are you bitter about your Survivor Series match, not winning the Women's Title?"  
  
"Am I bitter?" She repeated, standing up, and pacing a little, knowing that Chris's attention was focused on her legs. "No, I'm not bitter. Molly was just willing to go the extra mile to win. That's why she's been the Women's Champion for so long."  
  
"Not bitter at all?" Jericho asked sounding surprised.  
  
"Chris, you've known me for a long time. When was the last time I ever blamed an opponent for beating me?"  
  
"I can't actually recall." He admitted.  
  
"It's all about being a pro, Chris." Lita told him, "Some of the superstars out the back there need to learn where to look when they lose, and it's not to the administration, or to the General Manager, or to their opponents, it's here."  
  
She rapped on her chest. "When shit happens you need to look inside and work out why you lost. Molly out wrestled me, and she out-smarted me."  
  
"Congratulations Lita." Eric Bischoff appeared at the top of the ramp, walking casually down to ringside. "That was an inspiring little speech."  
  
"Was there something you wanted?" Lita asked him, rolling her eyes.  
  
"Yes actually." He slid into the ring, moving over to her, while she stood her ground, holding her head high. "You know Lita, I almost hate to do this, because I have to say you look very nice tonight."  
  
"Eric, if you're hitting on me again, you still suck at it." She told him, waving her free hand to the audience who began to cheer at her words, a chorus of 'ERIC SUCKS' sounding out at ringside.  
  
Looking down Lita smiled as she recognized some people just behind the barrier, waving to them as they cheered louder.  
  
"I did have a business proposition for you." Eric told her. "But I'm sorry to say that I don't feel like offering it to you now, so without much further ado, Lita, you're fired." His last words were drowned out by the sound of Evolution's music throbbing through the sound system.  
  
"Eric," Triple H began. "Eric, I have a business proposition for one of the superstars that I need to get off my chest." He walked down to the ring with Ric, Batista and Randy in tow, each man looking incredibly smug as they slid into the ring.  
  
"I'm in the middle of something here." Eric told him, his tone angry. "I was about to fire Lita."  
  
"Then it's a good thing we came out when we did." Triple H told him. "See, we want to make an announcement tonight. We invited another superstar an invitation to join Evolution earlier this evening, and they accepted."  
  
"Now is not the time." Eric told him. "Unveil your new member later."  
  
"She's standing in the ring now." Randy told the General Manager. Eric's face fell.  
  
"No, sorry, no can do." He refused.  
  
"I know that I can cause a lot of mess and destruction, but I can't be that much trouble." Lita told him, shifting a little as Triple H put his arm around her waist, Batista doing the same thing on the other side, while Triple H moved his fingers almost imperceptibly over her bare skin, making her want to pull away, but she stayed anyway. 'This is business', she reminded herself.  
  
"We'd like to welcome Lita, as the newest member of Evolution!" Randy told the crowd, having taken a microphone from one of the sound techs.  
  
"Therefore, we're suggesting you that you not fire her." Hunter told him.  
  
"You're suggesting?" Eric asked.  
  
"When it comes down to it, you're the boss." Batista told him. "Help us out and we'll help you out."  
  
"Help me how?" He asked, leering at Lita.  
  
"I prefer men to little boys." Lita told him, wrapping her arms around the two men's necks. "And all you are is a spoilt little boy."  
  
"You really don't sound like you want to keep your job." Eric observed.  
  
"I don't really mind either way. I can be a pain in your ass, or I can go to SMACKDOWN and take my fan base with me."  
  
"Your fan base?" Eric no longer sounded so sure of himself.  
  
"Lita has the biggest fan base of any diva in the WWE, bigger than some of the male superstars." Ric told her.  
  
"Imagine how pissed the board will be if your ratings drop any more than they have with Stone Cold gone?" She teased him, still having a trump card up her sleeve.  
  
"Even if I fire you, SMACKDOWN wouldn't take you." He bluffed.  
  
"Paul Heyman is desperate to have me, and as one of my ex-managers he's still a good friend. I can sign and seal a contract in five minutes, and if I sign I get a very nice pay rise. The contract is somewhere safe, don't worry."  
  
"You're going to try and screw Eric Bischoff?" He asked incredulously.  
  
"I can't stand you. Why would I want to screw you?" She asked. "The only thing I really want to do to you is drop you off a cliff, preferably on fire, screaming for mercy." Lita clapped one hand over her mouth, "I shouldn't be giving Kane ideas."  
  
Randy and Batista smirked, while even Ric amused by her words, and the audience cheered her name, mingling it with cried of 'Eric Sucks'.  
  
"You know what, fine, have your way." Eric fumed. "But you're on thin ice, one screw up, and you're out of here."  
  
"Define screw up?" She taunted him, a wicked smile on her face.  
  
"Do not argue with me, do not cross me, do not..."  
  
"Do not hit on me again, and we won't have any problems." Lita interrupted, "So you can save your breath. I don't know about you boys, but I'm out."  
  
"Welcome to Evolution." Hunter moved to shake her hand, but instead she bumped fists with him, and then rolled her eyes as he kissed her hand.  
  
Randy held the ropes apart so that she could pass through easily, while Batista lifted her down from the ring to the floor.  
  
"Guys, I might be the only girl in Evolution," She began as they walked up the ramp together. "But I'm not a prissy little princess. Stop treating me like one, or someone's going to be in a lot of pain." Even as she addressed the four men, Lita managed to smile for the crowd, moving away from the men to touch people's hands, and say hello.  
  
*********  
  
Later the four men walked into the Evolution dressing room, where Eric had declared that the five of them, Lita included had to get changed.  
  
When they walked in Lita was drying her hair off with a towel, walking around in a clean mini skirt, and a tiny little top.  
  
"Sorry." Ric instantly apologized, looking down at the floor.  
  
"What for?" She asked, turning her head sideways to look at him as she unwrapped her hair from the towel, dropping it onto the bench.  
  
"Your uh, your top." Hunter told her, the four men not knowing exactly where to look.  
  
To their surprise Lita began to laugh. "You think... you think that..." She began, and then stopped laughing enough to finish what she was saying. "This is my shirt, not my bra, okay, you can all relax."  
  
"It doesn't look like a shirt." Randy told her.  
  
"And you think your wrestling tights look like tights?" She shot back, "They're practically Speedos."  
  
"What are you doing now?" Batista asked her.  
  
"I'm going to finish getting dressed." Lita told him, "Before you decide you have to leave, by that I mean that I have to put my dress shirt on over this one, and put my boots on."  
  
"I don't think I'm going to get used to sharing a locker room with a girl, no offense." Randy told her.  
  
"It's not a big deal, I used to room with Matt and Jeff all the time. The basic rule is anything I'm wearing when I come out of the bathroom is not my underwear, unless I get screwed into a bikini mud wrestling match, or I'm coming back from losing a bra and panties match." She answered, sitting down and putting her feet into a pair of black leather knee-high boots.  
  
"What, no thigh highs?" Hunter teased.  
  
"I left them at home." Lita shot back, pulling a white button down shirt out of her bag and sliding it on, adjusting the fit of the material over her as she did up several of buttons, leaving her belly slightly exposed, and the top of her black undershirt exposed.  
  
Digging deeper into her bag she pulled out a small box, opening it to reveal a selection of silver jewelry, including several belly button rings, one of which she slid through the hole in her navel, sliding a handful of silver bangles onto one wrist, then twisting her other wrist to clip up a simple chain bracelet on the other.  
  
"You've never watched a girl get ready to go anywhere, have you?" She asked, glancing at them as she slid a pair of silver earrings in, then used her fingernails to do the clasp on a fine silver chain.  
  
"When did you get your belly pierced?" Hunter asked.  
  
"Jeff took me to get it done last Christmas I cried for about twenty minutes before I got it done, then didn't even realize when it was put through. Most people here don't know about it because I don't wear my ring while I'm wrestling."  
  
"How do you know what goes with what?" Randy asked, intrigued.  
  
"Common sense. Lots of time spent shopping with Trish, Stacy, Torrie, Dawn and everyone else." Lita answered, turning to the mirror, dumping a bag of cosmetics on the counter. She watched the reflections of the four men, who looked away as soon as they realized she was watching them. "So what do you guys have planned for the week?" Lita asked them, trying to make idle chitchat.  
  
"What?" Batista asked.  
  
"I was trying to be nice." She answered. "What are you guys doing this week?"  
  
"I think I'm going to go down to my grandfather's house." Randy told her vaguely.  
  
"Do you guys ever just talk? You know, about what's going on in your lives, or who you're seeing?"  
  
"Can't say that we do." Hunter answered, watching intently as she applied mascara to her eyelashes.  
  
"So the highlight of your week is going to be watching me put mascara on?" Lita asked them.  
  
"What are you doing this week?" Ric asked.  
  
"Tomorrow Trish and I are going shopping, and then I'm flying back to Florida late tomorrow night, where my mom will pick me up at the airport. Then on Wednesday I will be hanging out with my little sister. I belong to a program that pairs up adults with kids who don't have a mother or a father figure, so you sign up to hang out with a kid, in my case, a little girl for a few hours a week. Then, I have to spend six hours in the hospital getting my neck x-rayed and MRI scanned in case something has moved, it's something they do every six weeks. After that I have a ballet class."  
  
"You do ballet?" Batista asked her.  
  
"I have since I was a little kid, and I lost a lot of tone and wrestling technique while I was out, so ballet helped me to keep in shape, as long as I wasn't bending too much. She answered. "Then on Thursday, Jeff is coming out because SMACKDOWN is being held in Orlando, so I'll have a house full of 'the guys'. But I think they can just order takeout for every night they're with me, which will be until probably Sunday because we'll all fly out at around the same time."  
  
"Is that a busy week for you?" Randy asked.  
  
"No. I have stacks of energy and I love to be busy."  
  
"How do you keep it all straight in your head?" Ric asked.  
  
"I have a really good memory, and you know, a digital organizer."  
  
"So where are you heading off to tonight?" Hunter gestured to her clothes.  
  
"Dancing. Trish, Stacy and a couple of other people are coming if you want to join us." She offered, stretching her arms up, and rolling her shoulders.  
  
"You look good." Hunter told her, trying to hide the appraisal in his voice.  
  
"Then come and dance with me." She looked up at him, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth. Going one step further she batted her eyelashes.  
  
"Do you even know what you're doing?" Randy asked.  
  
"Finding myself a dancing partner." She grinned.  
  
"You need to play fair." Hunter told her.  
  
"Where's the fun in playing fair?" Lita smiled at them, folding her arms across her chest.  
  
"Come on then." He held his hand out to her. "One dance."  
  
She laughed. "Do the four of you even know the meaning of the word 'celebrate'? Tonight I not only kept my job and screwed Eric without having to touch him, but I also managed to last another night on RAW. After all that, I'm going dancing." 


	2. Chapter 2

Ch 2.  
  
"Hi guys." Lita could barely contain her surprise at seeing the four male members of Evolution in their locker room before her. Randy turned and took two of the sports bags she was carrying.  
  
"Ever heard of a valet?" Batista teased her.  
  
"I don't need anyone to carry my bags for me." She informed him. "All I need is a little help every now and again."  
  
Ric smiled. "So you had a good week?"  
  
"I did, I was really busy." Lita set down her shoulder bag, taking her new puppy out.  
  
"I must be going crazy." Hunter stared at her. "I think I just saw you pull a dog out of your hand bag."  
  
"This is Taita." She told him. "The boys gave him to me. They claim I need a man in my life to keep me in order."  
  
"And Taita is a what?"  
  
"Pure bred Shih Tzu." Lita told Hunter. "He's lovely."  
  
"Looks kind of like a ball of fluff." Randy reached out to pet the tiny creature.  
  
"Give him a cuddle." Lita passed the puppy to him.  
  
"They think you need a man in your life?" Ric asked. "What are we?"  
  
"They think I need to be in love to be happy. I have a really good track record of falling in love with my pets."  
  
"What other pets do you have?" Batista asked.  
  
"Akasha, she's a Bernese mountain dog, Cleopatra and Napoleon are my cats, they're both chocolate point Himalayan Persians, and I also have a Newfoundland called Lara."  
  
"Let me get this straight," Ric began. "You name your pets after..."  
  
"My cats are named after famous people from the past, and my dogs are named after fictional characters." Lita smiled.  
  
"Akasha is Queen of the Damned, and Lara is like Lara Croft, right?" Randy asked. "Where the hell is Taita from?"  
  
"As in Taita the Warlock." She told him. "You've never read any of the Taita novels by Wilbur Smith?"  
  
"Not a big reader." Randy answered.  
  
"Smith's books about Taita are set in Ancient Egypt. Taita was the servant of the Lady Lostris, who became Queen Lostris of the Upper and Lower Kingdoms."  
  
"That's a fairly romantic way to name your pets." Hunter told her. "I'm actually surprised you have so many."  
  
"The last time Matt and I broke up we went the whole way. After we'd said all the 'I don't want to see you agains' and the 'this isn't working, it's not you it me's', we saw our lawyers, divided our assets and worked out who got custody of our pets."  
  
"Custody?"  
  
"He kept Gisselle, Luke and Obi Wan. I took Akasha and Lara." Lita explained. "We both love our pets."  
  
"I actually had something I wanted to show you." Hunter told Lita, moving towards her, a black velvet box in his hands. Silently he opened it, showing her the contents, an incredibly beautiful, finely crafted necklace.  
  
"That's beautiful." Tentatively she reached out to touch the finely cut gem at the heart of the necklace, an exquisite pale blue sapphire.  
  
"I'm glad you like it." He passed the box to Ric, and then freed the necklace, moving behind her as he draped the necklace around her neck, clasping it carefully, then reaching his arms around her shoulders, he straightened the jewel.  
  
As he moved his hands down, they lightly skimmed her breasts, an action she ignored as she turned to look in the mirror, Hunter reflected behind her.  
  
"It's so beautiful." She reached up to touch the necklace again, less apprehensive than before.  
  
"It's called the Eye of Bast." Hunter told her, making it seem as though they were the only two people in the room. "She was some goddess." Randy told her.  
  
"The Egyptian goddess Bast, the goddess who comprehends all goddesses, eye of Ra, protector, avenger, destroyer... Giver of life who lives forever." Lita replied.  
  
"Clever girl." Hunter gave her a surprised look.  
  
"Why do you have something so precious sitting around in our locker room?" She asked, her voice becoming firm, like she was chastising small children.  
  
"I wanted to show it to you." Hunter told her. "I'm glad you like it."  
  
"It's beautiful." Lita told him again, turning to face the four men. "Why am I now wearing it?"  
  
"We aren't giving it to you." Ric told her. "It's on loan from Cartier."  
  
"So again, why is something so beautiful and so expensive here in a WWE locker room?"  
  
"We were hoping you'd like it enough to wear it." Hunter shrugged.  
  
"So in English, you want me to wear it on a photo shoot." She finished for him.  
  
"Randy was right, you are a goddess. That means nothing but the best for you from now on." He began again.  
  
"That's why we want you to do this. Some of the photos will be used as promotional material, and at the same time, you can film some new scenes for your entrance video."  
  
"What's the catch?" Lita asked.  
  
"Catch?" Batista asked her.  
  
"You either want me to do this in some kind of costume, or you want me to do this naked, if it's the latter, you can take the necklace back. I don't do nude photo shoots."  
  
The four men stared at her. "Nudity is Torrie's or Sable's thing, not mine. I have more dignity than that."  
  
"You must lose out, financially I mean." Randy told her.  
  
"I got paid more for doing bikini shoots, even when I wasn't wrestling, than they do for taking their clothes off."  
  
"Oh my God." The five people turned around to see Trish standing in the doorway, smiling at Taita. "Li, he's beautiful." She picked the puppy up, cuddling him to her.  
  
"His name is Taita." Lita told him.  
  
"Where did you get that?" Trish eyed the necklace.  
  
"The guys borrowed it for me. I'm going to wear it on a photo shoot, and in some new scenes for my entrance video."  
  
"It's so beautiful." Trish reached out to touch the pale blue jewel. "I wish someone would borrow me jewelry like that. Before I forget why I came to find you, and you guys too actually, I have something I need to ask you."  
  
"Spit it out then." Lita stood still as Hunter unclasped her necklace and laid it carefully back in its box.  
  
"Could you wrestle in a tag match with me tonight?" Trish asked her. "Bischoff's put me in a four on four intergender tag match, and I have to recruit my own team."  
  
"You know I'm in. Who else is on the team?" Lita asked.  
  
"Me." Trish answered.  
  
"So you're looking for two more members." Hunter said to her. "Who are you against?"  
  
"Victoria, Molly, Stevie Richards and Kane." Trish bit her lip.  
  
"You seem a little... apprehensive." Batista observed.  
  
"Kane's been a little crazy lately, you know, setting people on fire, electrocuting them, sending them off in ambulances. I'm a little more than apprehensive, I'm scared out of the my freaking mind!"  
  
"Don't worry, I won't let him hurt you." Lita told her. At once the four men began to laugh. Lita spun around and jammed her knee into Hunter's stomach, pulling his head down. "Kane will not lay a hand on me. It might sound insane, but he won't."  
  
"Why's that?" Randy asked, "Like Trish said he's been setting people on fire and electrocuting them lately. He even helped bury his own brother alive."  
  
"He takes care of me. For a long time, he's been my big brother. I saw what was behind the mask a long time before everyone else did."  
  
"Are you looking for offers in on this team?" Randy asked.  
  
"Are you offering?" Lita countered.  
  
"I'm in too." Hunter told her. "We can't very well have our goddess hurt, can we?"  
  
"Bite me." Lita muttered.  
  
"What was that?" Trish asked amused.  
  
"Feed me." She replied. "Let's go get some coffee or ice cream or something."  
  
Trish nodded. "Can we Taita to visit Stacy?"  
  
"She needs some cheering up." Lita agreed, picking up her purse.  
  
"So where did you get Taita?" Trish asked as they walked down the hall towards Scott and Test's locker room, where they knew that Stacy would be.  
  
"Jeff, John, Rey and the guys bought him for me. They think that I can't be happy without a man in my life." Lita smiled.  
  
"Tell them they can get me a puppy any day."  
  
"They bought Taita because of his size. He's small enough to travel with me. Lara and Akasha are both a bit too big." Lita paused; listening as there was a loud thump. The two women exchanged glances, then hurried along to see what the noise was.  
  
"Please, just stop, just calm down." Stacy begged Scott. He stood over her, while she lay curled up on the floor, half crawling, half dragging herself against the wall.  
  
"Leave her alone." Trish told him, walking forwards.  
  
"Stay out of this." Scott snarled at her.  
  
"Hunter?" Lita asked into her cell phone. "I'm just up the hall and I'm having a problem. Do you think you guys could come and sort it out for me, it's kind of urgent." She dropped the cell phone back into her purse, then walked over to Stacy and dropped down beside her, covering the blonde's body with her own for a moment, checking that she was okay.  
  
"What's going on? Lita?" Batista asked, seeing Trish, and then Lita on the floor, crouching over Stacy.  
  
Hunter and Randy appeared beside Batista. "What's the problem?" Hunter asked Lita.  
  
"He's my problem." She gestured to Scott, as she stood up, then bent back down to help Stacy to her feet. "Trish and I are going to take Stacy away from here now, and I want you to make sure he doesn't stop us."  
  
"Lita..." Hunter began.  
  
"I'm not listening to this." She said softly, moving over to speak quietly in his ear. "But I'm taking my friend away from the son of a bitch who hit her. I don't expect you to do anything, but if I have to, I will do everything in my power to kick Scott's ass."  
  
"Don't be stupid." He warned her.  
  
"Then save me from being stupid, and do me this favor because you love me, and I'm a goddess, and you guys are just slightly 'evolved'." She kissed his cheek, then took Stacy by the hand, wrapping one arm around the slightly dazed, very frightened woman. Hunter smiled at her for a moment, and then moved in on Steiner, making sure he didn't move to stop the three women. 


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Wow, ten reviews on the first two chapters, I wasn't sure how this one would be received, but it seems like people are enjoying it so far.  
  
A special thanks to one of my reviewers, but I can't remember which one. I read the review and worked out exactly how I'm going to end the story (not for quite a while though), and no, paprica, it's not going to be Randy and Stacy based.  
  
Thanks everyone, and let me know what you think of this chapter, it basically shows some interaction between the five members of Evolution.  
  
Samantha.  
  
Ch3.  
  
"What are you doing?" Ric asked.  
  
"Practicing my turn-out." Lita replied, concentrating on her feet, which were in a straight line, parallel to her hips.  
  
"Hey Randy, $100 says you can't do that." Hunter told the youngest member of Evolution.  
  
"Fifteen hundred says you can't." Lita told him, still concentrating on her feet, bending down so low that her thighs became parallel to the floor.  
  
"You're on." Randy replied with his usual cockiness. "How hard can this be?" Rushing straight in he tried to turn his feet out, producing a semi straight line.  
  
Lita smiled and kept practicing. Randy had no idea what he was doing.  
  
"God this hurts." Randy complained, looking at Lita's perfectly turned out feet. "How do you do it?"  
  
"It kanes if you do it from the knees or ankles like you are." Lita told him, straightening up. "All of your movement should come from the hips." She demonstrated for him.  
  
"Kanes?" Batista asked as he watched Lita help Randy.  
  
She looked up at him and blushed. "That's my age catching up with me. In ECW, it was a word we used to describe pain, really bad pain, and of course at the moment we could use it to describe the amount of pain Kane causes."  
  
Ric smiled, his amusement evident.  
  
"So how are you going with it?" Lita asked Randy. "Got your turn-out yet?"  
  
Randy held on to Batista's shoulder, his knees shaking, but feet in a straight line. "Got it."  
  
She smiled playfully. "Now let go."  
  
Randy stared at her for a moment, then let go of Batista's shoulder, shaking wildly until he fell down.  
  
"That's impossible." He told her, shaking his head.  
  
Lita rolled her eyes, then turned her feet out in a perfectly straight line, completely unsupported. "Believe me Randy, it can be done."  
  
"Teach me." He said to her.  
  
"Okay." She nodded. "Sit down." Lita simply sat down on the locker room floor, gesturing for Randy to join her.  
  
"So how does this bitch work?" He asked, sitting down next to her.  
  
She responded by beginning to stretch, folding one leg, and pushing it out, away from her body.  
  
He complied, copying her. "I hope you know I've never stretched this way before."  
  
"We'll just take it easy." Lita told him, holding her other side for a minute, and then changing again.  
  
"So what do we do now?" Randy asked as she stood up, offering a hand to help him to his feet.  
  
"Now we do this." She replied, all business.  
  
The three other men looked on, amused as Randy copied her stance.  
  
"This is going to be funny." Hunter snickered.  
  
Lita ignored him, watching Randy's posture. "Stand up straight." She moved behind him, putting her hands on his hips to steady him, while the three other men suddenly wished they'd had the presence of mind to ask Lita to teach them.  
  
"So if your hands are there, where do mine go?" He flirted with her.  
  
"On your head." She answered, clearly not amused. "Try your turn-out."  
  
Complying with her request, Randy tried to turn his feet out again.  
  
"No. Don't bother." Lita told him. "Remember, it comes from here." She squeezed his hips gently. "Try your left foot, just your left foot."  
  
He managed to turn his left foot out and line it up against hers. "I'm doing this." He told her.  
  
"Yeah, you are." She smiled as she spoke. "Now the other foot."  
  
He obliged, turning his other foot out, pressing it against hers, while holding her hands, which were still around his waist.  
  
"Nice job, well done." She moved her feet away from him, and let go of his waist, leaving him standing there alone, shaking a little.  
  
"So do you think you could teach me that one?" Hunter asked her.  
  
"I don't know." Lita shrugged. "I have to do some other stuff."  
  
"Like what?" He asked.  
  
She gestured to her clothing, a pair of workout pants, sports crop top, and ballet slippers. "Finish my workout."  
  
The four men watched as she bounced on the balls of her feet, bent one knee forwards, then the other, the lines of her legs becoming longer and leaner as she stood there on the tips of her toes. They all stared at her.  
  
"What the hell?" Batista said quietly.  
  
"Don't you guys have something else to be doing?"  
  
"I think I'm enjoying watching this." Hunter answered.  
  
"Figures I end up being a piece of ass." Lita muttered, though her remark wasn't made in anger. 


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Two words  
  
COMPUTER  
  
VIRUSES.  
  
Do yourselves a favor and make sure your virus protection and firewall are still current and up to date. It'll save you a whole lot of heartache and bother.  
  
Oh yeah, read and review.  
  
Song is by Hi-5.  
  
Samantha  
  
****************  
  
Ch 4.  
  
"So how far away is your place?" Randy asked.  
  
"About a twenty minute drive." Lita told him. "It takes about thirty minutes to get to the arena from my house."  
  
"So how are we getting there?" Ric asked.  
  
"By car." Lita looked at him like he was slightly crazy. "Did you think we were going to fly?"  
  
Hunter laughed, his shoulders shaking slightly as he tried to hide it.  
  
"I keep an SUV at the airport. That way if Jeff or anyone comes to stay, I don't have to pick them up, and that I can just drive myself to the airport, because I hate long, drawn out good byes." She explained. "It will fit all of us, and our stuff in."  
  
"Wow." Randy looked around appraisingly as Lita pulled into her street, an array of perfectly manicured lawns, well kept gardens and perfectly styled architecture surrounding them.  
  
"I had no idea you lived in a place like this." Batista told her.  
  
Lita smiled. "It's a great place to live." Taking one hand of the steering wheel, she pushed the button for the electric windows, and pulled over to the curb for a second.  
  
"Are we there already?" Hunter asked.  
  
"No. I just want to talk to Dwayne for a second." She replied, turning to look out of the window. "Hey!"  
  
"Dwayne?" Batista asked.  
  
"As in the Rock." Hunter explained to him. "I knew he lived in Florida, but I didn't know that Lita lived near him.  
  
"Lita, it's nice to see you back." Dwayne told her, straightening up from the kiddy pool where he was playing with his daughter.  
  
"Hey Simone." Lita greeted the little girl. "Are you daddy's helper today?"  
  
"Auntie Lita!" The little girl exclaimed, pulling away from her father.  
  
Dwayne caught her around the waist and pulled her up into his arms so that she could kiss Lita through the window. "So how's the rest of Evolution doing?" Dwayne asked the other guys.  
  
"Not bad." Hunter offered.  
  
"We had a long flight so I'd better get these guys home." Lita told him. "Feel free to come over for a drink later, and bring Simone. Say hi to Dany for me too, and thank her again for locking up for me last week."  
  
"Will do." He agreed. "Have a good afternoon."  
  
"See you." Lita pulled away from the curb, waving to them as Simone waved good-bye.  
  
"So you live in the same neighborhood as the Rock?" Randy looked impressed.  
  
"Yeah. My house is just down here." Several moments later she pulled into a driveway, parking the car. "We are home." Lita sighed.  
  
"This place is great." Hunter got out and looked around at the front of the house and the gardens.  
  
************  
  
"This is the front entrance hall." Lita told them as she unlocked the front door and let the inside.  
  
"Lita? Is that you?" A voice called from down the hall.  
  
"Yeah Gemma, don't worry, it's just me." She called back.  
  
"Gemma?" Hunter asked her, as the sound of pounding feet came towards them, two large, black dogs beginning to bark as they saw the four strange men.  
  
"Now they are big dogs." Ric said looking a little surprised at the sheer size of both animals.  
  
"I guess they knew that mommy was home." The four men looked up to see a young women with reddish-brown curly hair, and big blue eyes.  
  
"Hey girls." Lita greeted the dogs, dropping down to hug them both. She stood up from hugging her dogs. "Guys this is Gemma, she's my pet sitter when I'm away."  
  
"It's very nice to meet you Gemma." Randy told her smoothly.  
  
Gemma just looked at Lita. "I guess you were right."  
  
Lita began to chuckle. "I told you so."  
  
"I'd better get going." Gemma told her. "I still have to pick up Bryony from school, but before I go, I'll get you to have a look at Napoleon."  
  
"What's the matter?" At once Lita looked concerned.  
  
"He's been off his food for the last three days. I took him down to see Dr. Grey but she couldn't find anything wrong. It might just be that he missed you, but..."  
  
"Better to be safe than sorry." Lita finished for her. "Do you know where he is?"  
  
"I put him the bedroom so that I'd know where he is. Cleo is out and about somewhere."  
  
"Why don't you guys head into the kitchen and help yourselves to some coffee or whatever." Lita suggested to the four men. "This should only take a few minutes."  
  
Several minutes later Lita walked into the kitchen carrying a very large, fluffy cat in her arms.  
  
"Napoleon?" Hunter asked.  
  
"Yeah." Lita told him, putting the cat down on an island bench in the back of the kitchen, and taking a plate out of the refrigerator, uncovering it, and setting it down in front of the cat. "I'm hoping he'll eat something, or he'll have to go back to the vet."  
  
"On the bench?" Randy asked.  
  
"He doesn't eat anywhere else. He's spoiled." Lita told him. "But, it's okay, because I only ever prepare pet food on that bench anyway."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"So did you guys find yourselves a snack or something?" She asked, then noticed that they hadn't and moved over to turn the coffee maker on, and open a cupboard, quickly perusing the shelves, and bringing out a container.  
  
"Coffee and muffins?" Lita suggested. "Or if you prefer, I've got milk, tea, juice, soda, or this revolting electrolyte sports drink."  
  
"If you don't like it, why do you keep it?" Batista asked.  
  
"I have no idea. I think my mom bought it for me."  
  
"So is your cat okay?" Hunter asked.  
  
"Separation anxiety I think." Lita shrugged. "He'll be fine now that I'm home. I think I'll send Napoleon to my parent's house before I fly out next, though."  
  
"Hello? Lita? Are you home yet?" A voice called from the front hall.  
  
"In the kitchen!" She yelled back, unfazed that someone had walked straight into her house.  
  
"Thank God!" The voice answered, footsteps sounding down the hall, before the person appeared, dumping two sports bags on the floor in the door way. His face was drawn and pale, with dark circles under his eyes.  
  
"Jeff?" Ric asked the smaller man.  
  
"Yeah, it's me." He replied, his voice tired. "Li, I need your help."  
  
She crossed the room and hugged him. "You know that you can ask me for anything."  
  
"Help me get some help." He explained. "I've been doing some crazy shit, even for me. I'm in trouble."  
  
"What kind of trouble?" The way Lita asked it wasn't a demand, just a 'let's get this over with so that I can help you,' way, that spoke volumes about their brother-sister relationship.  
  
"Police. It's bad this time. Not unpaid parking tickets, or speeding fines."  
  
"Drugs." She said the word unmethodically, not even guessing.  
  
Jeff nodded his head. "I can't go to dad or Matt about this Li. I can't go to anyone."  
  
"That's not true." She sat him down at the kitchen table and poured him a glass of juice. "You came to me, Jeff, and I'm glad you knew that you could." Tears glittered in her eyes.  
  
"Do you need a lawyer?" Hunter asked, finally interrupting them.  
  
"For the mess I'm in, I'll need about six." Jeff told him.  
  
"I can organize your legal council." He told the younger man. "Don't worry about it."  
  
"Let's concentrate on getting you some help." Lita told Jeff. "But you know that for anyone to help you, you need to want to help yourself." Her tone was firmer than it had been, but still soothing and comforting.  
  
"I know." Jeff nodded.  
  
"So let's go and find something that suites you." She took him by the hand and led him, and the others into a sitting room in the back of the house, which was lavishly decorated in Egyptian style. Period couches, papyrus paintings hung on the walls, and figurines of various Gods and Goddesses were showcased in a crystal cabinet made of varnished teak.  
  
Walking over to the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, which covered one wall, Lita opened a drawer, removing an armful of papers.  
  
"Have a look though some of these." Lita placed them down on the coffee table, catalogues of rehabilitation centers. "See if there's somewhere that appeals to you. Then go up to your room and get some sleep. We can talk later."  
  
"How come you have all of those rehab brochures lying around?" Randy asked her as Lita led the members of Evolution back to the kitchen.  
  
"Because I came out of hospital with an addiction to painkillers." Lita answered him. "I spent twenty eight days in a rehabilitation facility. I think it's why Jeff knew that he could come to me. Because I've been there before, and he stood by me. I'll stand by him no matter what, it's what you do for family."  
  
"It must be pretty painful for you to be seeing him like this." Ric said, looking back towards the sitting room.  
  
"You have no idea." Lita answered softly. "I wish he'd learned from my mistakes." She was shaken out of her thoughts by the phone ringing. "Hello?" She asked into the receiver.  
  
"Lita? It's Dwayne. I know that you're probably busy, but do you think that you could watch Simone tonight? I know that it's a lot to ask, but my mom's sick in hospital and we can't get hold of Dany's mom." Dwayne told her.  
  
"I'll come over and get her." Lita told him. "You two concentrate on getting your mom better."  
  
"Thanks Li, you're a life saver." The relief in Dwayne's voice was unmistakable.  
  
"I'll see you in a few minutes." She said before hanging up the phone.  
  
"What's going on?" Ric asked  
  
"I'm going over to get Simone." Lita told him. "Dwayne and Dany have to go down to the hospital. His mom is sick. I'll be back soon."  
  
*****************  
  
Later Lita sat curled up in an arm chair, with Simone curled up on her lap, a fire roaring in the hearth, while the others watched an ice hockey game on the TV.  
  
"Another story?" Simone asked as Lita put down the book they had just finished.  
  
"Enough now." Lita told the tired little girl. "It's about time for bed."  
  
"But I want to stay up."  
  
"Night time  
  
Sleep time  
  
Say good night time  
  
Good night stars, shimmery bright  
  
Good night moon, silvery light  
  
Snuggle up with your blanket  
  
Snuggle up real tight  
  
Close your eyes and dream  
  
Dream 'til the morning light." Lita sang quietly, stroking the little girl's dark hair, watching as Simone's eyes closed and she fell asleep.  
  
"Never would have picked you for the mothering type." Ric told her softly.  
  
"You're like superwoman." Batista shook his head in amazement.  
  
"Simone is a great kid, a beautiful little girl." Lita hefted her weight, shifting to a standing position, and then carrying the little girl, she disappeared from the room.  
  
She reappeared several minutes later, rubbing her neck uncomfortably.  
  
"Are you okay?" Hunter asked, taking his mind off the game on TV.  
  
"Just uncomfortable." She shrugged, trying to loosen the muscles.  
  
"Sit." Jeff gestured to the floor in front of him, and she dropped down, letting him knead gently at her muscles to loosen them. As he worked she rested her head against his knee, dozing lightly.  
  
"Lita?" Jeff said softly, waking her slightly. "You should head up to bed."  
  
"In a minute." She mumbled, more asleep than awake  
  
"Come on, you're half asleep on me." He cajoled her. "Go on up and get some sleep."  
  
She nodded sleepily. "Just turn the TV off when you go to bed." She told the guys, who nodded, watching the last quarter of the game. 


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Another chapter, sorry about the lack of updates, I've really been trying, but I've been busy out of my mind.  
  
Samantha  
  
Ch. 6  
  
In the dark, Hunter wandered silently around the house, finding himself outside Lita's door. Unsure why, he opened the door and walked in.  
  
She lay sleeping, her head resting comfortably on her pillow, dark brown hair spread out around her like a halo. Her face was relaxed, tranquil, an expression one he'd never seen on her before.  
  
Like a man possessed he reached out and gently touched her face.  
  
As his fingers made contact with her skin Lita's eyes fluttered open. "Hunter?" Her voice was raspy when she spoke his name, heavy with sleep. "What's going on?"  
  
"Nothing. Sorry I woke you." He told her softly. "Go back to sleep."  
  
"Having trouble sleeping?" She asked.  
  
"Something like that."  
  
"I know how that feels." She told him. "Sometimes the bed just feels too empty."  
  
He shrugged, and adjusted the blankets, straightening the creases.  
  
"Get in." Lita moved over in her bed and shoved the covers back. Without waiting for him to get in she turned over, relaxing her body. Silently he moved in beside her, pulling the covers up over himself.  
  
Lita shifted slightly as he wrapped his arms around her waist, feeling the warmth of his body against her own, figuring that he just didn't want to be alone.  
  
His hands touched lightly on her exposed belly, where her pajama top had ridden up a little, and without giving it a second thought, Lita fell asleep again.  
  
******************  
  
Early the next morning Lita pulled out of his embrace, leaving the sleeping man curled up in her bed. With a smile she grabbed some clothes and walked into the bathroom to get dressed.  
  
Downstairs she fed the dogs, and both of her cats, while the others remained sleeping, giving Lita some rare time to herself.  
  
Ric was the first one down, staggering almost blindly towards the coffee machine.  
  
As he and Lita sat there, drinking their coffee Batista and Randy appeared.  
  
"Morning guys." Randy yawned at them.  
  
"Morning to you too." Lita rolled her eyes, leaving the two men to get their own coffee.  
  
"Have either of you seen Hunter?" Batista asked.  
  
"He's still sleeping." Lita answered.  
  
"He's not in his room." Batista told her. "Did he crash on one of the couches or something?"  
  
"Or something." She shrugged and turned to take several boxes of cereal out of the cupboard, placing them on the table.  
  
"Is this one of the things we don't want to know, or one of the things that we need to know?" Ric asked.  
  
"He's asleep in my bed if that's what you're asking. But before you go and wake him, and say congratulations, you scored I think you should leave him be. Because we didn't, and he needs the sleep." Lita addressed her last comments to Randy and Batista who seemed entertained by the idea of waking him up.  
  
"What do you mean?" Ric asked.  
  
"It's just a thought. I don't think he's been sleeping well." She ran one hand through her hair, ruffling her dark brown tangles. "Are you two going to head out for a jog?" Lita asked Randy and Batista, who were already dressed in sweatshirts and trainers.  
  
"Yeah." Randy told her. "Just around the block once or twice."  
  
"We'll see you a bit later then." Ric told them as the two younger men left.  
  
As Lita waited for Ric to speak, Hunter walked into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes, clearly just having woken up.  
  
"You look like you could use a few more hours sleep." Lita told him, arching her eyebrows.  
  
"Mmfff." He mumbled.  
  
Smiling, Lita passed him her half empty cup of coffee.  
  
"Marry me and have my children." He told her, once he'd drained the cup.  
  
"Maybe next lifetime, dreamer." She remarked. "I'm going to get Simone up. She'll want to call Dwayne and Dany and I need to check in with them." Lita was unusually quiet as she left the room.  
  
"I think we've got a problem Naitch." Hunter told his mentor as he nursed a second cup of coffee.  
  
"What sort of problem?" Ric asked, "We're all getting along great."  
  
"I think I'm in love with her Ric."  
  
"Say that again Champ?"  
  
"I think I'm in love with Lita." Hunter repeated. "I don't know why I went to her room last night, and I don't know why I stayed with her, but I can't seem to clear my head. All I can see is her."  
  
"Then we do have a problem then don't we." Ric shook his head.  
  
"Randy and Batista are going to think that I wanted her in because I wanted her."  
  
"Does she know how you feel?" Was Ric's next question.  
  
"I don't know. She's so hard to read. It's like she's so used to people trying to get the jump on her that once she thinks she's let too much show, she hides it all, everything."  
  
Ric reached out and put his hand to Hunter's forehead. "No fever, you're not delusional, must be love." He decided. "Are you going to tell her how you feel?"  
  
"After she broke up with Matt, and now she's dancing around with Christian. I don't want to push her away."  
  
"So you've got two choices, tell her how you feel and see how she reacts, or be patient and be her friend." A voice from the door way said. "Be there when Christian stomps her heart into the floor, because when he does... She will need you, Hunter, but you have to give her a reason to trust you."  
  
"Jeff." Hunter breathed, relieved that he wasn't Lita.  
  
Jeff just walked over to the fridge to get some juice out. "I know that you like her, the tension around you is so thick you could cut it with a knife, a butter knife even."  
  
"So you knew." Ric asked him.  
  
"How this guys looks at Lita? Yeah. The woman is more than my sister; she's probably my best friend in the world. I know how a lot of men look at her. Matt's way, the way the fans look at her, the way guys lust after her, even the way you just watch her. Not like you're stalking her, but like you're trying to figure her out. It's intriguing, even for me."  
  
The two men just stared at him for a moment, then began to chuckle.  
  
"Laugh all you want." Jeff told them. "But you laugh at me because I'm different. I laugh at you because you're the same. You don't look further than you think you can see."  
  
"Who can see what?" Lita asked, walking back into the room carrying Simone.  
  
"Just guys stuff." Jeff told her. "How did you sleep Simone?"  
  
"Auntie Lita says I can call mommy and daddy." Simone chirped.  
  
While Simone talked to her daddy on the phone, sitting on the kitchen bench, Jeff sat Lita down at the kitchen table.  
  
"So I've decided what I'm going to do." He began. "I called a rehab facility last night, and organized a place there. It's a twenty-eight day rehabilitation program at Tall Oaks in West Virginia. I leave this afternoon."  
  
"I'm proud of you." Lita told him. "But remember that you're doing this to stay clean permanently, not just for a while. It's a big commitment."  
  
"I'm going to do it." Jeff promised. "I have to. I can't keep living like I have been. I'm going to make myself get better."  
  
"Daddy wants to talk to you." Simone chirped from the bench.  
  
"One second." Lita told him, moving to the phone. "Hello?"  
  
She listened silently for a few minutes, nodding her head every so often while Dwayne spoke.  
  
"I'll drop her back to you when you get home." She said finally, "Or someone can run over to get her, it's not a problem." Once she was off the phone, Lita sent Simone into the den to watch a video, and eat her cereal.  
  
"I'm really proud of you." She hugged Jeff unexpectedly. "You're doing the right thing."  
  
"I put you down as my contact." He told her. "I still don't know how to tell dad and Matt."  
  
"Be straight with your dad." Lita advised him, "We both know that he prefers the direct approach, and if Matt gives you crap, point him in my direction. There's a few little home truths he could face up to if he's going to yell at you."  
  
"You aren't mad at me are you?" Jeff asked her, a little surprised at her words.  
  
"People make mistakes Jeff." Lita answered, a sad expression on her face, betraying only a tiny amount of the pain in her eyes. "I know that better than anyone. We're all just human."  
  
"You make something so complex, so simple." Roc observed, "Not that it's a bad thing."  
  
"To err is human, to forgive, divine." She said softly. "I've been forgiven for things that I'm not proud of. I can forgive others just as easily for things that they aren't proud of."  
  
"I love you." Jeff told her, kissing her forehead as he stood up. "I'm going to borrow the laundry for a while."  
  
"What could you have done that was so bad?" Hunter asked quietly as Lita sat down at the table.  
  
"A lot of things." She answered, "But I won't compromise myself, ever."  
  
"If you can just forgive something like drug addiction," Randy began, he and Batista having returned from their jog. "What couldn't you forgive?"  
  
"You don't forgive 'things' Randy." Lita told him, speaking with a maturity that stunned them all. "You forgive people, and you forgive those people because they need it, not because they deserve it, or they've earned it. Because they need it." 


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I've been as busy as anything. I've actually written a couple of short fics lately so watch out for those, especially one called 'Life of You Life,' which is a Mother's Day story,  
  
Happy reading.  
  
Samantha  
  
CH7.  
  
When the guys walked into the locker room, they found Lita curled up on one of the couches, a blanket wrapped around her, cocooned in a pile of cushions.  
  
"Are you okay?" Ric asked her.  
  
"Don't ask." She answered, her voice sounding strange to their ears.  
  
"Are you sick?" Hunter asked, reaching out to touch her forehead.  
  
She shook her head, and curled down further into the couch.  
  
"Then what's the matter?"  
  
"I'm suffering from absolutely excruciating abdominal cramps." Lita told him, not pulling any punches. "Ric can you see if you can get me out of my match?"  
  
"For period pain?" Randy asked.  
  
"Only a guy could say it like that." She muttered. "When Steph was GM all you had to do was say, 'Steph, I'm on my rag and I feel like shit.' Then she'd just say 'head back to the hotel and have a rest,' or 'hang around, and you can do a walk on.'"  
  
"So you don't think you can wrestle?" Ric asked her.  
  
"I don't think I could take on Stacy at this point in time." Lita told him. "Does that answer your question?"  
  
"Can't you just take something, like all that Naprogesic crap they advertise?" Batista asked.  
  
"I've already taken something stronger, and it's not working. The only thing that I could take now would be either an injection of muscle relaxants, or a shot of steroids straight into my stomach."  
  
"So why don't you do that?" Randy asked.  
  
"If I take the muscle relaxants it will only last for a few hours and I won't be able to do very much, and the steroid will make me woozy for a while, meaning that I can't compete, as well as making me as sick as a dog. It's not worth it."  
  
"Is there anything we can do? Do you want Trish?" Hunter smoothed one hand over her hair.  
  
"Does someone want to call one of the trainers here? I think I can still have a shot of codeine."  
  
"Codeine?" Randy asked.  
  
"It's a pain killer I like to avoid, but I'm in a lot of pain. It'll lend credibility to the story I'm going to feed Eric."  
  
"What story?" Batista asked.  
  
"I'll tell him I fell during a warm up, and bruised my hip. The trainers know me well enough that they'll play along, he wouldn't give any of the girls time off for any reason."  
  
"So what did you want guys?" Eric asked, sauntering into Evolution's locker room as Batista opened the door.  
  
The trainer turned around at the sound of his voice, capping the need he'd just used to inject codeine into Lita's side.  
  
"What's going on?" He asked again, staring at the bare expanse of flawless skin that made up Lita's belly, as she shoved her shirt down and pulled the blanket around her, making her feel secure.  
  
"Lita's bruised her hip, and strained a muscle in her upper thigh." The trainer told him. "She can't compete tonight."  
  
"Can't compete?"  
  
"Give me a break, Eric." Lita said to him, her voice a little slower than usual as the drugs began to take effect. "We all know that the Women's division is just T&A for you."  
  
"Let me get this straight," Eric began. "You do something stupid and get hurt, then you expect me to just allow you to not compete."  
  
"Pretty much." She answered, leaning against Hunter's shoulder, already drowsy.  
  
"Not on." He replied. "You will wrestle in your match with Gail tonight."  
  
"Eric she's barely coherent. There's no way she can get in the ring tonight." Ric told him. "If she does, someone is going to get hurt, and because she has less in-ring experience, I'd say Gail will be the one who gets hurt."  
  
Eric paused for a moment, as though thinking seriously about Ric's words. "Alright. Lita doesn't have to wrestle tonight. Contrary to popular belief, I do not think about the Women's division as T&A as Lita puts it. So Lita can have tonight off. Next week on RAW, you will be involved in a match though. A bra and panties match, against... Victoria."  
  
"Come off it Eric." Hunter told him. "You know that Lita's better than that. Put her in a decent match."  
  
"I've made my decision." Eric replied. "I'll see you next week Lita, in your underwear."  
  
"All of the girls I know go out and buy bras and panties for those kinds of matches." Lita shrugged. "Most of us don't use them for anything else. So don't get your rocks off over it." 


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Slow updates much? I feel like I've been really lazy, sorry everyone, I'll try and do a bit better.  
  
Samantha.  
  
Ch 8. The next week on RAW Lita walked out to the ring with Ric as her entrance music played, for the first match on the card. Eric Bischoff stood in the ring watching her, a microphone in hand. "All right, cut the music." He snapped, and then took on a different tone. "Now I know that you're scheduled for a bra and panties match against Victoria, but during the week I thought of a better match for you... a bikini mud wrestling match."  
  
If Lita was shocked she didn't let it show.  
  
"I can try to talk to him." Ric told her, moving to stand beside her. "See if I can get you out of this."  
  
She shook her head almost imperceptibly, and pulled her shirt off, revealing a dark green bikini style bra, then threw her shirt into the audience.  
  
"I'm glad you agree." Eric said to her, watching as she dropped the basketball shorts she was wearing and threw them too, wearing a pair of conservative boy leg bikini bottoms in the same shade of green.  
  
"You anticipated this." Ric told her as they walked over to the mud pool.  
  
"It's called worst case scenario." She answered. "I'll be fine."  
  
"I'll watch your back." He promised. "He's up to something."  
  
Finally in all of the mud and ooze Lita managed to twist Victoria into a hold that she could maintain even covered in mud as they both were.  
  
The referee began the count, making it to three before Victoria could escape. Somewhere the bell rang and Lillian's voice echoed through the arena, declaring Lita the winner.  
  
She nodded her head, raising her arms above her head, and then pitching forwards as Victoria hit her from behind with something hard. She landed in a heap, curling her arms up around her head to try and protect herself, while Victoria went to work on her, beating into her, then throwing her back into the mud pool and holding her face under, the thick sludge invading her eyes, blinding her, and pressing into her nose, mouth and ears, as she began to struggle for breath.  
  
Then Lita felt herself being lifted up carefully and held tightly against someone's chest, felt them trying to wipe some of the muck away from her eyes.  
  
"Lita." Hunter's muffled voice told her. "I'm going to keep my hand over your eyes to try and keep the mud out. Try not to blink until we can get you cleaned up."  
  
Dumbly she nodded, feeling someone else supporting her from the other side, and heard Evolution's entrance music pounding through the speakers, though her ears were fairly well clogged up with mud.  
  
"I'm here too." Ric was saying. "Stevie was trying to interfere, I was trying to keep him away from you. Batista just Powerbombed him."  
  
She nodded again as they helped her up the ramp, guiding her footsteps, both men knowing that she would never consent to being carried. Ric had pulled a blanket around her shoulders, trying to shield her barely clothed form from prying eyes, as well as trying to keep her warm, the mud chilly and sticky on her skin.  
  
In the hall no one commented on her condition, though Lita was unaware that Batista was acting the guard dog, keeping everyone away from them.  
  
Once inside their locker room, Lita dropped the blanket a little, just off her shoulders, trembling like mad from both cold and an extreme desire to not be humiliated any further by letting the guys see her cry, as well as in her underwear.  
  
"It's okay now." Ric told her, gently patting her shoulder. "We'll get you cleaned up."  
  
"Just stay here with Ric and Batista a second while I turn on the shower. We've got to get the mud out of your eyes." Hunter's voice told her as he left her side.  
  
Batista moved to her side, his hand taking the place of Hunter's over her eyes, the other around her waist, trying to comfort her. "Just stay still." He coached her. "Ric's got a drink for you, to wash all of the mud out of your mouth."  
  
She sipped the water into her mouth, then spat it into the cup Ric held for her, ridding herself of most of the mud and debris which coated the inside of her mouth.  
  
When Hunter led her into the bathroom the air was warm and steamy, and she could hear the running water dimly. With care he guided her underneath and held her face up to the spray, allowing the water to wash all of the mud and grit away from her eyes, off her face.  
  
"Just take it easy." He told her, running his hands gently over her face to help clear the mud and debris that had caked onto her skin, and through her hair, trying to rinse all of the muck out.  
  
Finally Lita was able to open her eyes, still feeling some grit in them, and look at him, still dressed in his suit, but soaking wet in the shower with her. "Thank you." She said softly, and then reached out to touch his sopping wet suit. "You're all wet."  
  
"So are you." He grinned at her. "Are you sure you're okay? How are your eyes?"  
  
She nodded, then gestured for him to leave, well aware that she was only wearing her underwear, covering her body self-consciously with her arms. "I should finish getting cleaned up." Lita brought her hands up to her hair, feeling the grit that lay close against her scalp.  
  
"I'll just... be out here." Hunter gestured to the door. "Call if you need anything."  
  
She nodded, then waited until he closed the door before removing her sodden, filthy underwear so that she could get every grain of muck off her body, then concentrated on getting it out of her hair, sobbing quietly to herself in humiliation all the time.  
  
"What the hell takes so long?" Randy fumed. "All she has to do is take a shower."  
  
"Just let her be." Ric told him, Hunter glad he didn't have to say anything. "It's not like any of us can know how she feels at the moment."  
  
"Dirty?" Randy suggested sarcastically.  
  
"Try embarassed, humiliated." Batista told him. "It's not like you've ever been in a bikini mud wrestling match."  
  
"I think she was aware something like this might happen." Ric said quietly. "She wouldn't even let me try and talk Eric out of it, and she was dressed to mud wrestle."  
  
"She's pretty upset." Hunter told them. "I get the feeling she hates not being able to help herself, and I don't think all of us seeing her in her underwear helped either."  
  
"Uh, guys." Lita opened the bathroom door just enough to poke her head out, dark brown hair plastered to her skin with water, and a fluffy white towel wrapped around her body, reaching down past her knees. "I'm having some clothing issues. Do you think you could get my bag for me?"  
  
Hunter looked over to where her stuff usually sat, then walked over there. "Lita, it's not here." He told her, moving back to look at her.  
  
She swore, coming up with a string of words the four men hadn't thought she even knew. "Can I have a phone please?"  
  
"Who are you going to call?" Randy asked.  
  
"Trish hopefully, or Stacy, or Jackie, someone who can bring me some clothing." Lita told him.  
  
Batista stood up and walked over to hand her a phone, watching as Lita closed the door.  
  
"Trish, pick up the phone." Lita commanded as the phone rang. "Pick up!" She sighed heavily when it became clear that Trish wasn't coming to the phone, and dialed another number. "Hey, Stace, it's Lita."  
  
"Hi, are you okay? I watched the match." Stacy replied.  
  
"I'm all cleaned up." Lita told her, "But I need a favor."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Lend me some clothes. Somehow my bag is no longer in our locker room, and the only clothes I have at the arena are a matching set of sopping wet bra and panties."  
  
"I'll be there in a minute." Stacy told her. "Just hold tight."  
  
With a bag of clothing slung across her shoulder Stacy knocked on Evolution's locker room, taking a step backwards as Batista opened the door, her eyes widening in fear.  
  
"Come on in." He told her, opening the door wider so that she could enter. "You don't have to be afraid."  
  
"Lita's still in the bathroom." Ric told the leggy blonde.  
  
"I know. I'll just..." Stacy gestured towards the bathroom door, knocking gently, "Lita, honey it's me, I'm coming in okay." She called then opened the door, closing it carefully behind her.  
  
"Thank you so much." Lita told her, still wrapped in a large fluffy towel. "I tried to get a hold of Trish, but her cell just kept ringing."  
  
"She's having an argument with Eric." Stacy told her, pulling out some clothes. "We're about the same size so these should all fit."  
  
Lita nodded and began to get dressed, letting Stacy talk the whole time.  
  
Finally the two divas emerged from the bathroom, both fully dressed, Lita holding the back of her head with one hand.  
  
"What happened out there?" Batista asked.  
  
"I had the thing won, I made her submit and everything, the referee counted, bell rang. Then I let her go and she hit me from behind with something."  
  
Lita winced in pain, while Hunter made her sit down and smoothed her hair to take a look at her scalp.  
  
"She did a good one on you." He told her. "There's a big lump, and the skin's split a little."  
  
Lita just nodded. "I'll bet Molly or Jazz took off with my stuff. They were probably in on it with Victoria and Bischoff."  
  
As she spoke Trish burst into the room. "Honey are you okay?" She dropped down in front of Lita. "I'm sorry I wasn't here before, but I had to give Eric a piece of my mind, and I stopped by the trainers rooms on my way here and brought you this." She held out a box of saline solution.  
  
Lita smiled at her and accepted the box, opening it and removing a glass bottle of a clear solution and an eye bath. "Thanks." She carefully aligned the child-proof cap and poured some of the liquid into the eye bath, holding it to her left eye, then tilting her head back, allowing the solution to clear out any stray grains of muck from her eye, then repeated the procedure with her right eye.  
  
Christian and Jericho knocked lightly on the door and just walked in, Christian dropping down onto the bench beside her. "Are you okay Lita? I was worried about you."  
  
"I'm fine." She nodded, punctuating her words, but feeling suddenly dizzy.  
  
"Do you want to head out tonight, after the show I mean."  
  
"Uh, not really." Lita answered, feeling as though her stomach wanted to go into revolt. "I think I'll just go back to the hotel, have a quiet night."  
  
"I could bring some videos over."  
  
"I could really use some time on my own." She told him. "I'm not feeling especially great... Trish."  
  
"It's okay." The blonde coached her. "Tell me what's wrong."  
  
"I think... I have to go and see the trainers." Without another word Lita pulled away from Christian who'd managed to wrap his arm around her, and bolted out the door, Trish close behind.  
  
"Did I just miss something?" Jericho asked aloud.  
  
"I would say that Victoria hit her pretty hard from behind. She's probably got concussion." Stacy told them, shocking everyone. "I'd leave her be if I were you. She can get pretty grumpy, and she tends to want to be alone. Plus she throws up a lot when she's concussed."  
  
"How often does she end up with concussion?" Jericho asked.  
  
Stacy stared at him for a second. "We are talking about the same Lita, right? As in the girl who is willing to jump off anything, try any move, and smack herself around as long as she can get the pin. As in one of the pioneers of TLC matches, and one of the only divas to willingly participate in tables matches, one of the only two women to ever wrestle in a steel cage."  
  
The six men stared at Stacy, as though remembering exactly whom they were talking about.  
  
"How many concussions do you think she's had?" Stacy asked them, not really needing an answer.  
  
"How many fingers?" The trainer asked.  
  
"Three." Lita answered correctly.  
  
"How do you feel?"  
  
"Dizzy, really nauseated, really out of sorts." She answered as he shone a light in her eyes.  
  
"Your pupils are a little slow. I'll let you go now, but head back to the hotel and get some rest, don't sleep for at least five hours, and if you start to feel worse, or have any kind of earache, I want you to head to the nearest hospital."  
  
Lita nodded and stood up.  
  
"I'll give you something for the pain, and something to help settle your stomach, but try to steer clear of coffee, cola drinks and dairy for about eight hours."  
  
"Are you okay?" Hunter asked, standing up as Lita and Trish walked into the room.  
  
"Text book mild concussion." Trish told him. "Lita I've still got my match, are you right to wait here until I'm done?"  
  
Lita normally bright eyes had taken on a glazed look as she stared at her friend. "Uhhh..."  
  
"I'll take her back to the hotel." Hunter told the blonde. "I'm done for tonight." He picked up his bag, shoving a few things inside.  
  
"You can't let her go to sleep for at least five hours." Trish told him, "And if she has a bad headache, earache or starts feeling worse, take her to hospital."  
  
"Okay. Come on Lita, let's get you back to the hotel." He slid one arm around her waist, and hooked his sports bag over his shoulder, leading her slowly out of the room. 


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: God I'm bad at updating lately!!! Sorry everyone, but I've been writing quite a bit, even got some new stuff in the works.  
  
Samantha.  
  
Ch 9.  
  
"It's almost too quiet." Ric's voice carried in the hall, and into Lita's room as he used his key to unlock the door. "I hope they haven't fallen asleep."  
  
"She'll be in a bitch of a mood when she wakes up if she is asleep." Randy said quietly.  
  
"Hunter." Batista called, not too loudly in case Lita had a headache.  
  
"We're out here." Hunter's voice answered, matching Batista's volume.  
  
The three men found Hunter and Lita lying out on the balcony on a blanket, both rugged up against the chill in the night air, lying back on pillows with empty cups beside them, and a plate with a few dry crackers still on it.  
  
"What are you doing?" Randy asked.  
  
"Stargazing." Lita answered promptly, not moving.  
  
"Lita wanted to do something that didn't require movement, or noise." Hunter explained, "And we needed a break from Monopoly."  
  
"How are you feeling?" Batista asked Lita.  
  
"Remarkably like being sick." She answered, "But I feel a bit better. I think some of that medication is working..."  
  
Her voice trailed off and Hunter sat up to shake her awake. "Come on Lita, not bedtime." He forced her to sit up, and start talking again. "What did you want to do when you were a kid?" He asked, hoping that that answer was a long one.  
  
"I wanted to be a ballerina." She answered sleepily. "I wanted to set the stage on fire, and make people understand that dancing isn't just beautiful, it's amazing. There's so much trust and understanding between partners, just like tag teams."  
  
"And?" Hunter prompted her.  
  
"I wanted to try and show people that ballet isn't hard to understand, and that it's for everyone."  
  
"How do you understand ballet?"  
  
"It's all about the music and the dancing, and the story." Lita told him, becoming more and more alert by the second. "Most importantly though, it's about how the music and the dancing and the story make you feel while you're watching. Some of the dancers are beautiful too. There are some that you just can't take your eyes off when they dance. I wanted to be one of those dancers."  
  
"If you can stay awake for another three hours, I will take you to the ballet when you're feeling better." Hunter promised, "Just stay awake for me."  
  
Four hours later Hunter, Lita, Randy and Batista sat up playing a game of Trivial Persuit, which Lita was winning despite her concussion.  
  
"What was the original capital city of Turkey?" Randy read off the card. "These questions get dumber with every round you play."  
  
Lita lay curled up on one side of the bed, Hunter sitting in front of her legs, with Batista and Randy on the other side. Silently she closed her eyes and drifted off.  
  
"Seems like we lost Lita, and gained Sleeping Beauty." Randy chuckled.  
  
"I guess we should pack up and clear out." Batista said, gesturing to her sleeping form. "She can sleep now."  
  
The three men moved the board and the cards onto the coffee table carefully, so as not to disturb her.  
  
"I'm going to stay here." Hunter told them. "Crash on the couch, just in case she needs anything."  
  
"Sure, if there's a problem, call." Batista told him.  
  
Once the younger men had gone Hunter pulled his sweat shirt and shirt off and slid into bed beside Lita, holding her hand so that she'd know she wasn't alone.  
  
She woke in the early hours of the morning and sat up, waking Hunter with her slight movement.  
  
"Are you okay?" He asked, his voice heavy with sleep.  
  
"Mmm." She nodded slowly, and moved to get out of bed.  
  
"Take it easy." Hunter coached her. "What do you need?"  
  
"A glass of water?" She asked. "I'm thirsty."  
  
He nodded and walked over to the tiny bar fridge to get a bottle of water, then poured some into a glass for her.  
  
She took several swallows of the cool fluid, then set the glass down on her bedside table.  
  
Hunter ran a gentle hand over her hair as Lita curled up against him, letting his body cradle her own. 


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Updated, sorry everyone, I just got a new job, and I'm dealing with about twenty cases of writer's block, so that really sucks, but I'm working on it.  
  
Anyway, read and don't forget to tell me what you think!!!  
  
Samantha  
  
Lita woke up alone the next morning and immediately looked around for Hunter, not believing that he would just leave. She smiled as she spotted the door open, and Hunter sitting with his back against the opposite wall, watching over her as he spoke on the phone. He waved to her, then stood up, putting the phone back in his pocket.  
  
When he sat down on the bed next to her, Hunter gave her a smile. "How's the head?"  
  
"Much better, thank you." She smiled back.  
  
"So do you have plans for tonight, by any chance?"  
  
Lita shook her head. "Not that I know of."  
  
"I did promise to take you to the ballet." Hunter reminded her. "I asked the ticket master about a good one to see, he suggested one called..." He fiddled around in his pocket for a slip of paper. "Gisselle, performed by the Russian Ballet Academy. It's playing tonight."  
  
Lita's face broke into a huge smile. "Gisselle is one of the most beautiful, hardest to perform ballets. Thank you!"  
  
"Would it make you any happier if I told you I got good seats too?"  
  
She reached out and hugged him. "You are the best."  
  
-  
  
"So where are you going that you will need an evening dress?" Stacy asked.  
  
"The ballet. Hunter promised that if I could stay awake for the five hours the trainer recommended, he'd take me to the ballet."  
  
"Are you sure he wasn't just bribing you?" Trish asked.  
  
"He bought our tickets this morning."  
  
"You are so lucky!" Stacy exclaimed, "What are you going to see?"  
  
"Gisselle. He got really good seats too."  
  
"So is this a date thing, or a friends thing?" Trish asked.  
  
"It's a friends thing." Lita told her immediately.  
  
"Sure it is." Stacy rolled her eyes.  
  
"Hunter had never said, or done anything that would make me think otherwise." She told both of her somewhat meddling friends.  
  
"So what color were you thinking of for tonight?" Trish asked.  
  
"I thought I'd just find a dress I like, then choose a color in its range." Lita shrugged.  
  
"I was talking about lingerie." Trish arched an eyebrow at her, while Lita just shook her head.  
  
Hunter knocked lightly on Lita's door, then on reflex twisted the handle.  
  
"You can't come in." Stacy told him, appearing in the crack.  
  
"I came to get Lita." He told her. "I promised I'd take her to the ballet tonight.  
  
"You have to wait outside." She answered. "Lita's not ready yet."  
  
Several moments later Lita shoved her way out of her hotel room. "Hi." She said to a very surprised Hunter.  
  
"You look..." He began.  
  
"Like a poodle?" Lita asked.  
  
"No. You look great." Hunter smiled at her.  
  
"Sorry about my assistants." She shot a backward glance to the pair of blondes peeking out of her hotel room. "I asked them to go dress shopping with me."  
  
"You look great." He assured her. "But I am going to ask you for one favor."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"You might need to explain this whole ballet to me." Hunter confessed.  
  
In the early hours of the morning Hunter and Lita got back to the hotel, surprising some of the other superstars who were still up, with their formal wear.  
  
"Since when have you two been dating?" Chris Jericho asked the pair.  
  
Lita stared at him blankly for a moment. "Oh, we're not."  
  
"So you just..." Jericho trailed off, lost for words.  
  
"I promised that if she could stay awake for as long as the trainers told her to, I'd take her to the ballet." Hunter explained.  
  
Lita smiled. "It wasn't that hard to understand, was it?" She teased.  
  
"No, once you explained the first two acts to me, it was pretty good." He answered.  
  
"You really didn't think you'd enjoy it, did you?" Lita asked him.  
  
"It was good." Hunter conceded. "Come on, I'll walk you back to your room." 


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Here we go, another chapter.  
  
Weeks later  
  
Lita sat comfortably in the locker room she shared with the guys, waiting for them to get back with her coffee. Legs crossed she balanced the book she was reading in her lap and absorbed herself in the words.  
  
When the door opened she looked up, but instead of seeing Hunter and Ric with her coffee, Trish stood there, tears streaming down her cheeks.  
  
"What's happened?" Lita asked her, automatically holding her arms out to her upset friend. "What's going on?"  
  
"It's a bet." Trish choked out. "We're a bet."  
  
"What?" Lita asked again, not fully understanding.  
  
"Chris and Christian, we're a bet."  
  
Lita's eyes widened and filled with tears, though she didn't cry.  
  
"I heard them talking about it in their locker room. The winner was whoever could sleep with one of us first, and the prize was a dollar."  
  
Tears began to dribble down Lita's cheeks as she reached out to hug her friend, the two women holding onto each other like lifelines.  
  
"Okay Lita, we've got your..." Hunter began as he and Ric walked into the room, followed by Randy and Batista who had just come from a sparring session. "What's going on?" He asked the two women, passing Lita's coffee to Randy.  
  
"It's a bet." Lita choked out.  
  
"Chris..." Trish began, and then dissolved in tears again.  
  
"Chris had a bet?" Hunter asked.  
  
"With Christian." Lita confirmed, still crying.  
  
"About?" Randy asked.  
  
"Who could sleep with one of us first." Trish sobbed, her voice choked and strained.  
  
"It's okay." Hunter tried to reassure the two women. "We'll take care of them for this." Inside he was absolutely seething with rage, but managed to contain it as he reached out to hug Lita, trying to comfort her.  
  
"It was all a lie." Trish said bitterly as she sipped the coffee Randy handed her. "Chris didn't love me at all. He said the most beautiful things to me, and I would feel so... safe. What an idiot!"  
  
"You're not an idiot Trish." Lita told her.  
  
"You warned me. You told me to be careful, but I didn't listen, and then you stopped listening to yourself and we both got hurt."  
  
"Honey you feel hurt because you love him, I feel hurt because I'm so sick of being betrayed. At least you had the courage to fall in love." Lita said gently, despite her hurt, still thinking clearly.  
  
"We will take care of this." Batista promised them both.  
  
"Take care of it?" Trish asked.  
  
"They had a bet to see who could sleep with our girl." Randy told her. "And they hurt you too. Everyone knows you're Lita's best friend. We'll take care of you too. When you mess with one part of Evolution, you mess with all of us."  
  
"Maybe not all men are evil." Trish said softly.  
  
"Yeah, and just when I was thinking about switching to the home team." Lita added.  
  
Everyone stared at her.  
  
"You would seriously consider... that?" Ric asked, while Trish smiled.  
  
"No, but it was worth saying it to see the smile Trish's face." Lita told him.  
  
"Now I know what you're all thinking tonight." Hunter addressed the crowd, "But you're probably wrong. This isn't a twenty-minute spiel, and Lita is okay, despite the fact that she's not out here. I'm going to call two superstars out to the ring, and if they don't come Randy and Batista are going to drag them out here. Chris Jericho, Christian, get your asses out here."  
  
Jericho's music hit and the two men appeared at the top of the ramp. "What do you want?" Christian asked into his microphone.  
  
"Come down to the ring, we'll discuss this like men." Ric told him, the two men complying with his request out of curiosity.  
  
"See, earlier we caught up with Trish and Lita." Hunter began. "And neither of them was very happy. In fact, they were both pretty upset, and it's all about a little conversation you two were having earlier."  
  
Jericho's face paled a little. "What conversation would that be?" He asked, his voice cocky as he tried to maintain his composure.  
  
"The one about the bet." Hunter told him. "They know all about your bet, who could sleep with their chosen partner first."  
  
"You can't prove anything." Christian told him, unaware that Batista and Randy had slid into the ring behind them.  
  
Randy shook his head. "We don't need to. Trish heard you talking about it." Both Canadians spun around, only realising that there were people behind them when Randy spoke.  
  
"One Canadian dollar. That's low for even you scum." Hunter told them. "So we've called you out here to make a deal. You stay away from Trish and Lita, and we won't hurt you."  
  
"You approach them at all, and we will not hesitate to beat the living crap out of you." Batista finished.  
  
"Who's with the girls?" Hunter asked Batista, lowering the microphone.  
  
"Lita seemed happy to stay with him for a while, and he got Trish to stop crying and laugh." Batista reassured him. "They're both safe."  
  
As he spoke the screen came to life, a camera set up in Evolution's locker room.  
  
"I'm guessing that there's still a pair of Canadian jerks in the ring." Lita's voice came over the sound system. The image revealed that both she and Trish were curled up on the couch, not even bothering to sit up properly, just leaning comfortably against each other.  
  
"I don't know what I expected from a guy who declares himself to be the King of the World," Trish began. "Maybe I've been a little brain sick, but I'm not anymore. I don't know whether or not I hate you yet, but you make me sick."  
  
"So much for a guy I trusted for so long. If all I am is a bet then I don't know why I even bothered being your friend, or even thinking that I could love you." Lita shrugged her shoulders. "I guess rebound isn't so bad when you're still on it."  
  
"Here we go ladies." A voice said from off screen. "I think this is what the Doctor ordered." Two iced chocolates were passed to the two women, topped with whipped cream and grated chocolate. "Well, the Doctor of Thuganomics anyways." The man sat down between them, looking at the camera.  
  
"What the hell is John Cena doing here?" Jericho sputtered. "He's not allowed to be here."  
  
"What am I doing here?" John asked. "I'm taking care of my girls, someone has to."  
  
"I always knew that Lita wasn't as pure as she makes out to be." Christian smart mouthed.  
  
"You aren't too bright are you?" John said to him. "You make my best friend pretty angry, and you're standing in a ring with four guys who want to kick your asses, then you keep trying to diss her. Do I have to come out there and give you a new set of braces to shut that mouth of yours?" As John spoke he wound his chain around his hand.  
  
"Bring it on." Christian challenged him.  
  
"Sorry bro, would if I could, but Heyman'll suspend my ass. Nah, I'll save it for the Rumble. Me and Benoit'll put both your asses over the top rope."  
  
"Oh really," Jericho taunted him. "Not if I get you in the Walls of Jericho first."  
  
John just laughed before he began to speak, or rather, rap.  
  
"Walls of Jericho?  
  
Shut it up you man-ho.  
  
You seem to think you're all that, Y2J,  
  
You're not, you're washed up, and I'll wash you away  
  
And Christian, I didn't forget about you,  
  
Instead of one group to kick your ass, you've got two  
  
You wanna bet on my girl, you got a big problem,  
  
Come anywhere near these girls again, you'll wish you never touched  
them  
  
I'll smack you in the face, give you my FU  
  
Those 'peeps' aren't cheering you on, they're saying you."  
  
The arena burst into applause at John's impromptu rap, while Christian fumed in the ring. "I've heard about these battle raps of yours, why don't we have one, right here, right now."  
  
"With me here and you standing in the ring?  
  
I don't see no bother, I'll bet you can't sing." Cena shot back, just  
getting warmed up.  
  
"Get down to the ring." Jericho snarled at him.  
  
"No need to get pissed, but I'm gonna rob you, You'll never get your hands back on these two." He answered, putting his arms around Trish's and Lita's shoulders. The monitor went black, and seconds later 'Word Life' pounded through the sound system, John appearing at the top of the ramp, flanked by Trish and Lita.  
  
"Yo, yo, yo, yo, yo" John greeted the audience, "Now is Atlanta here to represent?"  
  
"DAMN STRAIGHT!" The crowd roared back.  
  
With a look of grim determination on his face John began his rap.  
  
"What can I say, I got them out of bed,  
  
I wouldn't be shocked if they wanted you dead.  
  
I'm here to oblige, Doctor of Thuganomics,  
  
Not goddamn medicine, or economics,  
  
I'll kick your ass, and make you crawl,  
  
Give me a chain dawg, I'll start us a brawl.  
  
The pair of you suck, I don't care what anyone says  
  
Making bets on women, this ain't a soap opera, geez  
  
So turn around dawgs, and face me like men  
  
You both claim to be, but then again  
  
You think you're both cats, maybe the pound'll come save Jackass and  
Peep  
  
It don't matter what you do now, take a swing, you can't see me  
  
Neither of you punks have any class  
  
But leave these girls alone or I'll drop you on your...." John dropped his microphone onto the mat, as the crowd finished for him, screaming out 'ASS!' at the tops of their lungs.  
  
"That was pretty..." Christian began, "Well... it was interesting."  
  
As he went to start his rap Lita pushed his microphone down, taking John's from his hand. "Whatever you say, no one wants to hear it, Christian. Not me, not these people."  
  
"Just leave us alone." Trish told the two men.  
  
"Leave you alone?" Christian grabbed Jericho's microphone. "All we have to do now is settle on our bet. We didn't get finished, but Chris came closer than I did." He flicked a Canadian dollar over to Jericho. "All's fair in love and war, ladies."  
  
A/N2: If the raps suck I'm really sorry, but that was the best I could do. Anyway, let me know what you think.  
  
Samantha 


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Another chapter, still with one of my fav SMACKDOWN wrestlers, John Cena.  
  
Enjoy  
  
Samantha.  
  
"I understand some of what that guys says," Randy began, "But what exactly does a Doctor of Thuganomics do?"  
  
"You don't know what thugging is?" Lita asked, then seeing the confusion on his face began to explain. "You can use a different four letter word in place of the word 'thug.'"  
  
"Fucking?" Randy asked. "He's a Doctor of... Oh."  
  
The way he said it brought a smile to Lita's face.  
  
"Okay Red," John told Lita, walking over to them, "I don't know where you put the last one, but this is your cut off." He set a chocolate ice cream sundae down in front of her, decorated with whipped cream, chocolate mousse and grated chocolate. "Don't blame me if you get fat."  
  
"Just be grateful I still love you, I'm pretty down on your gender at the moment." She told him sweetly, digging a spoon into the mountain of chocolate.  
  
"You must have some imagination to come up with an ice cream sundae like that." Randy told John looking at the pile of chocolate.  
  
"I just told the waitress that my friend had been upset by this guy who had a bet on her. She made this one up especially." He answered modestly.  
  
"Are you feeling better?" Hunter asked as he sat down opposite Lita.  
  
"Bit," She replied, "I still can't believe what a prick he was. I couldn't even see it. Do you want some?" She offered him the spoon laden with ice cream.  
  
Unable to do anything else Hunter opened his mouth and swallowed the ice cream. "Is there enough sugar in that?"  
  
"Screw sugar." Lita answered. "Screw Christian, and Matt, and Eric and everything."  
  
"Word Life." John agreed with her. "If you got any problems, just give me a yell, but it looks like your boys here do a pretty good job taking care of you."  
  
"I never told you congratulations for getting into the Rumble." Lita said to him.  
  
"You're in?" Batista asked.  
  
"Me and Benoit fought our way in, took on the freaking FBI in a handicap match."  
  
"Who do you think will be the last man standing?" Ric asked.  
  
"Hard to say, hard to say. Chris and me drew for the last over the top Rumble, but Chris wants to win this one, he's hungry for a shot at the WWE Championship, and Heyman's being a prick to him. We made him eat soap the other week, so he's more pissed off than usual with both of us. Kurt's a possibility too, he just wants to win the Rumble cos he hasn't done it before. Me, I just wanna get in there and start throwing guys around. I just hope 'Show and Rikishi aren't in it this time, and your boy Rosey too. Took fifteen guys to eliminate Show in the Thanksgiving over-the-top rumble, but we all knew that it was the only way that someone else could win. If Rey Mysterio was in, he'd be gunning for Show, and Tajiri'd be gunning for Rey, but he's defending his Cruiserweight Title against Jamie Noble."  
  
"You'll all be fine." Lita reassured him. "Just dump Matt and Christian over the ropes for me, early if you can."  
  
"Anything for you, Princess." Batista rolled his eyes at her.  
  
"You did not just call me that." Lita pointed her spoon at him.  
  
Hunter smiled. "What would you prefer he called you?"  
  
"Anything but Princess, honey, babe, sweetheart, cutie, sweetie, angel, darling, or Amy Christine." She answered, rolling her eyes.  
  
"So that leaves... Lita." Randy said.  
  
"Pretty much." She grinned.  
  
"You didn't say I couldn't call you Cookies." John teased her.  
  
"You can still call me that." Lita relented.  
  
"Why can't we call you Amy Christine?" Ric asked, looking amused.  
  
"It's what my dad calls me when he's mad." She ate another spoonful of ice cream.  
  
"So what is it about John that means he can call you Cookies?" Hunter asked.  
  
"He's 245lb. of John." Lita smiled. "One night when John was staying at Jeff's, Matt and I had a fight and broke up, so I did what I usually did, and threw some stuff in a bag, grabbed my car keys and drove up the street to Jeff's, let myself in and John was sitting awake in the lounge room watching a movie."  
  
"Training Day." John interrupted.  
  
"We ended up having a cookie-eating contest." Lita giggled.  
  
"And she won." John told them. "A hundred and twenty pounds and she ate a whole box more than I could."  
  
"A hundred and twenty pounds?" Lita asked him, crossing her arms over her chest.  
  
"Gimme a break, like I sit here trying to guess your weight." He shot back.  
  
"I suppose I still love you." She rolled her eyes.  
  
"So how many boxes of cookies did you eat?" Randy asked John.  
  
"About three and a half."  
  
"You ate four and a half boxes of cookies!" Hunter stared at Lita for a second. "You've got to be kidding me. Where did you put them all?"  
  
"In my stomach." Lita grinned. "I was pretty hyper for the next couple of days."  
  
"Yeah, and I was as sick as a dog the next morning." John added. 


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Another chapter, and just so you all know, this is one of my favorites.  
  
Samantha.  
  
Ch. 11.  
  
Lita lay in the dark, trying to find sleep, to find a place of solace within herself that she would be able to escape the feelings of pain and betrayal inflicted upon her.  
  
Soft knocking on the door brought Lita out of her thoughts, and she pushed the covers back as she got out of bed to answer it.  
  
"Hunter?" Lita said softly as she opened the door.  
  
"I thought I'd come and check on you." He told her. "I wasn't sure if you'd be asleep though."  
  
"I can't sleep." She answered. "Come in." Lita moved aside to allow him through.  
  
"It's not your fault you know." Hunter said her. "Christian is a jerk. He always has been."  
  
"Did you know something I didn't?"  
  
"I knew that I was concerned. I don't trust him myself. But I'm not in any position to be telling you who you can see and who is good for you. Jeff said something to me when we were staying at your place, and I thought it was strange. He told me that Christian would hurt you, and to stay with you because you would need me."  
  
"He would say something cryptic like that." She shrugged her shoulders. "Never doubt the things he tells you. He sees a lot further, and reads a lot more into people than most of us bother to. I should have listened to myself. I compromised myself because I wanted to believe that he loved me." Tears glittered in her eyes.  
  
"With Trish you made out that it was nothing, that he hadn't hurt you."  
  
"It was for her. She's really hurting over Chris. He made her happy, I don't think I've seen her that happy in a long time. She doesn't need the extra pain because I'm upset that I let another jerk stomp my heart into the floor."  
  
Hunter started at her words, so close to the ones Jeff had used. "We're all here for you Lita. I know that Evolution's not Jeff, or John or Rey, but we do care about you, and we will look after you, and Trish."  
  
Lita reached out and hugged him. "You are a really great guy."  
  
"And the others?" He asked.  
  
"The others aren't here, are they?" She said to him, her eyes wide, almost pleading.  
  
"Lita, I'm not going to let us do something that you will regret tomorrow morning." Hunter said gently.  
  
"Who says I'll regret it?" Lita asked, tears in her eyes. "Maybe I just don't want to be alone anymore."  
  
"Believe me Lita, I know how it feels, and it sucks." He said to her. "But I'm not going to sleep with you tonight. Tomorrow morning you'll feel like I took advantage of you, and I won't do that." Hunter stared into her eyes, at the tears that glittered there, and spoke again. "I'm not saying no Lita, I'm just saying not now."  
  
"Figures." She bit her lip. "There must be something about me, something that just screams at guys 'I'm not worth your time.'"  
  
"You are worth my time, and any other guy who sets their eyes on you, you're worth their time too." He promised her. "And you might not be ready to hear this Lita, but I love you. I'm not going to say anything else, or try and get you to do anything you aren't ready for, because you're just not ready."  
  
"Always the best friend, never the girlfriend." She murmured.  
  
"No, Lita that's not it. Just take some time. Get over Matt, get over Christian, and I'll still be here."  
  
Almost as if she was ignoring his words Lita reached out and kissed him. "I really don't want to be alone."  
  
"Go to sleep Lita." Hunter told her gently. "I'll stay here until you go to sleep."  
  
Silently she curled up under the covers, looking so small and sad that he was surprised at just how small she really was.  
  
In the locker room and in the ring she never appeared tiny.  
  
She was always right there, the center of attention, whether she liked it or not, exuding self-confidence and strength. But as he looked at her, Hunter saw a woman who was torn; pained by so much that should never have touched her.  
  
Barely aware of what he was doing Hunter lay down beside her and wrapped his arms around her, comforting her.  
  
"I won't go anywhere." He told her gently.  
  
At his words Lita burst into tears, sobbing like the world had come to an end. 


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: God, I'm getting so bad with these updates, I could just kick myself.  
  
Thank you God (and all my reviewers) for all the great feedback I've had on this story, it's great to be able to read a story, and really connect with it, so I hope that at least some of you feel that way about this story, which is a pretty long one (I'm still actually writing parts of it, but it now covers four text files on my computer.) Don't worry, the drama doesn't end here!!!!!  
  
Let's go the GREAT AMERICAN BASH!!!!!  
  
Samantha.  
  
Ch 12.  
  
"Hey, Hunter!" Ric called out as he saw the bigger man leaving Lita's hotel room, a 'Do Not Disturb' sign on her door.  
  
Hunter gestured for him to be quiet. "Keep it down would you."  
  
"What's going on?"  
  
Hunter ushered him into his hotel room. "She's finally asleep." He told the older man.  
  
"Lita? What happened?" Ric asked again.  
  
"I went to check on her last night and she's a lot more cut up about Christian than she was letting on in front of Trish. I told her the truth. That Jeff warned me to stay close to her, and that I love her."  
  
Ric looked shocked at his words "What did she say?"  
  
"She wanted me to sleep with her Ric, and I told her not then. She's not ready for it. So I told Lita I'd stay until she went to sleep."  
  
"And?"  
  
"And she was so tiny and so... I don't know... fragile lying in that bed. I hugged her and she cried, almost all night. Fell asleep at about four- thirty still sobbing."  
  
"She's that upset about it?" He asked.  
  
"Who's upset about what?" Randy asked, walking into the room.  
  
"Lita's upset about Christian." Hunter told him.  
  
"Maybe we should take her out, cheer her up." He suggested.  
  
"It's probably better if we just let her sleep." Ric said to the younger man. "Hunter says she didn't have a good night."  
  
Randy raised his eyebrows. "Really?"  
  
"She cried until four-thirty this morning Randy." Hunter told him.  
  
"That's gotta give her one bitch of a headache." The youngest member of Evolution shook his head. "Is she going to be okay?"  
  
"We don't know." Ric shrugged. "We hope so."  
  
In her hotel room Lita woke up alone. She sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes and looking around.  
  
Without making a sound she got out of bed and walked into the bathroom taking a long hot, shower, letting the steam clear the fuzziness in her head, and wash away the stiffness in her muscles.  
  
Finally she turned the taps off, and toweled off quickly, rubbing her hair until it was almost dry, then got dressed, not caring about wearing anything special. Just threw on a pair of baggy jeans, and a comfortable t- shirt, before heading down to where she knew the guys would be, the dining room. On a whim, Lita picked up her shoulder bag, and placed Taita inside, not wanting to leave the little dog alone.  
  
As she entered the room, several people looked at her, expressions of pity on their faces, and Lita refused to look at them, refused to indulge in the pity that they were offering her. Moving into safe territory she walked over to where her stable mates were sitting and dropped down into the seat next to Hunter.  
  
"Hey sleepy." Hunter greeted Lita. "Are you feeling any better?"  
  
She nodded sleepily, and rested her head against his shoulder. "I'll be okay. Thank you, for last night."  
  
"Are you hungry?" Batista asked her.  
  
"Yeah, sort of." She shrugged. "I don't know."  
  
"What do you want?" Ric asked, passing her a menu.  
  
"Waffles." She answered promptly.  
  
"Hey Lita, what are you doing tonight?" Christian called to her from the next table.  
  
"Sobbing needlessly over a jerk who made a bet to sleep with me, when he never even got to first base." She replied, matching his volume. "Oh, wait, I did that last night."  
  
"Sure you did." Christian taunted her, wanting to hurt her with his words. "You sure you didn't find some random guy and get it off?"  
  
Shawn Michaels who was walking past Christian grabbed the Canadian by the throat. "We don't talk that way to ladies in this country." Then Shawn dropped him back into his chair.  
  
"Yeah," Lita told Christian sarcastically. "I went out, in my pjs, picked up, scored like you would not believe. I'm not easy like you Christian. I'm not willing to screw anything on two legs."  
  
"Doesn't say much about you does it?" Christian taunted her.  
  
"You think I'm a piece of ass, just like ninety percent of the guys on the roster." She sighed. "I guess when the roster was split all the players ended up on RAW."  
  
"Don't you ever call me..." Christian began, moving to stand over her.  
  
Hunter stood up, his size silencing the smaller man. "Shawn and I don't agree on a lot of things," Hunter told Christian, "But I guess we do agree on the fact that Canadian scum like you don't treat women well."  
  
"Fuck Canada!" A voice yelled out from the doorway.  
  
Everyone turned to see Stone Cold Steve Austin standing there.  
  
"I guess I couldn't help but quote one of my favorite movies." Steve added, walking into the room. Lita smiled at him, remembering the line from the South Park Movie.  
  
"It's nice to see a smile back on your face, Lita." He told her, walking over to them. He paused in front of Christian. "You really are a creepy little bastard, aren't you?"  
  
"Bite me you fired son of a-."  
  
"Who said Stone Cold Steve Austin was still fired?" Steve asked him. "Last night I got a call from the board of directors. They watched RAW at their meeting, to check the progress of the show. Ladies being bet on, unfair match ups, a power hungry GM. They called Stone Cold and said, 'Stone Cold, would you like your job back?' And you know what I said? 'Hell no!' So they said 'Steve, be reasonable, we'll make it worth your while.' I said 'How?' And Linda McMahon said, 'You can kick the ass of any man you think needs his ass kicked'. So you can imagine what I said next. I said 'All hell yeah!' Stone Cold Steve Austin is back, ladies and whupped asses."  
  
As he finished speaking Lita managed to laugh.  
  
"So Christian, Creepy Little Bastard, what were you saying?" Steve asked.  
  
Christian muttered something unintelligible.  
  
"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that." Steve cupped his hand to his ear. "Though it's not like I really care what you have to say. Now get your creepy little ass outta here." He commanded.  
  
"You sanctamonius son of a-." Jericho began, but was stopped by loud 'ahem' from Steve.  
  
"You just don't know how to keep your mouth shut, do you? Go and join your friend, the pair of you make me sick."  
  
"Lita, you have to tell Trish..." Jericho began, moving towards her, before Batista restrained him single-handedly.  
  
"I should take you out the back somewhere and beat you like the dog that you are." Batista snarled at Jericho. "Don't even talk to Lita, or Trish you scum."  
  
"Don't." Lita told him, a look of pity in her eyes.  
  
"Why not?" Batista asked her, his anger abating almost immediately, though he still held Jericho in a painful lock..  
  
"Because he doesn't deserve the effort, and Trish is still in love with him." Lita answered, and then spoke to Jericho. "You might feel really good hearing that, Trish loves you, and you hurt her. But it doesn't matter. Love and trust are intertwined, and without one, the other fades away. Trish might love you, but she'll never trust you again."  
  
Jericho's face paled.  
  
"Just leave her alone." Lita told him. "Don't call, don't write, don't wait around for her in the halls. Just let her be. And tell Christian to let me be." Once she finished speaking she could feel the tears welling up in her eyes.  
  
"Do you want to get take-out?" Hunter asked her gently.  
  
"Just get me out of here." She whispered, not trusting herself to speak.  
  
Hunter made an almost imperceptible motion with his head to the other members of Evolution. Sliding an arm around Lita's waist, he led her out of the room.  
  
On the hotel stairs, Lita sat down, looking at her knees.  
  
"Where do you want to go for breakfast?" Hunter asked her, trying to take her mind off everything.  
  
She looked up at him, and the others, her brown eyes pools of pain, shining brightly with unshed tears.  
  
"Lita?" Steve asked, coming out behind them. "Are you okay?"  
  
"I must have 'target' written on my forehead or something." She murmured. "I should have just listened to my first instincts and walked away."  
  
"Hindsight always has 20-20 vision." Steve told her.  
  
"Thanks for the philosophy." Lita told him, a bittersweet smile playing on her lips.  
  
"Lita, he's a nothing guy." Ric told her. "You can do a lot better."  
  
Strangely enough his words brought a smile to her face, even making her chuckle. "How about McDonalds?" She suggested, going back to Hunter's question, when he had asked her where she wanted to go for breakfast.  
  
"Wherever you want to go." Hunter conceded.  
  
"Steve, do you want to come too?" Lita asked the co-General Manager.  
  
"For breakfast?" He repeated, watching as she nodded. "Okay."  
  
"So I've got three orders of hotcakes, seven hash browns, four bacon and egg McMuffins, five sausage and egg McMuffins, five coffees, three large orange juices, and a large chocolate thickshake." The woman recited back to them.  
  
"That sounds about right." Lita nodded. "Is there a wait on any of that?"  
  
"Just on the hash browns. If you'd like to take a seat, I'll bring them over to you."  
  
"Lita, I know that you're not quite yourself," Randy began, "But do you always drink your coffee and orange juice at the same time?"  
  
She nodded, and then took a bite of her hot cakes. "Thanks for bringing me out guys."  
  
Ric gave her a curious look, but said nothing.  
  
"What?" She demanded, sounding very much like herself.  
  
"Nothing." He told her.  
  
"Fine." She turned away from him, the beginnings of a pout forming at the corners of her mouth.  
  
"Are we going to have to baby you all day?" Randy asked.  
  
Lita shook her head. "Who said you had to baby me?"  
  
"No one." Randy answered, his tone far from the self-assured one he used when he was talking to the other divas.  
  
"I might head out for some retail therapy." She said, not acknowledging his words.  
  
"Retail therapy?" Batista asked.  
  
"Shopping. I might give Stace a call since Trish flew home. She's always up for some shopping. Or if she's not Taita and I might go to the park."  
  
"The park?" Steve asked her.  
  
"Mmhhmm, Taita loves to be able to run around and I like to get out and just sit where it's quiet, maybe read. Just me and Taita, most often we have Lara and Akasha with us too. The dogs just run around and I have a chance to think."  
  
"About what?" Steve asked.  
  
She shrugged her shoulders. "All sorts of things. What's going on in my life, storylines, my family, the best ways to piss people, especially Eric off, which involve little effort, and maximum levels of annoyance, new practical jokes, Jeff, John, Rey, sometimes you guys."  
  
"So it's not just idle thoughts like 'does my butt look big in this,' or 'should I paint my nails green." Randy teased.  
  
Lita rolled her eyes at him. "Has anyone ever told you that you're an idiot?"  
  
"Not this week." He shot back.  
  
"So you think you'll just head out to the park." Batista interrupted the argument.  
  
"I guess so." Lita nodded, shifting pieces of hotcake, drenched in maple syrup around her foam plate.  
  
"Not hungry any more?" Ric asked, his tone sympathetic.  
  
"I really don't know anymore." Before she could shrug her shoulders again, Hunter laid his hands on them, pressing down so that she couldn't shrug.  
  
"It's bad for your posture." He told her.  
  
"And pressing down on my collarbone is bad for the whopping great steel plate in my neck." Lita told him, her voice heavily laced with annoyance. "I'm sorry, you didn't deserve that." She apologized immediately. "I think I'll be in bitch mode all day."  
  
"Don't worry about it." He brushed off her apology.  
  
"I do, and I'm heading back to the hotel right now. Call my cell phone if you need me at all."  
  
The five men watched as she picked up her bag, with Taita sleeping inside, and left. 


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: God I'm hopeless, I meant to have this chapter up on Sunday night, and I just didn't get time.  
  
Thanks to everyone who reviewed on the last chapter, and an extra special thanks to everyone who review my recently finished story Salveme, which is another Lita fic, with constant Evolution bashing (and it's R rated.)  
  
Anyway, drop me a line, I love to hear from anyone and everyone.  
  
Samantha.  
  
Ch 13. Sighing, Lita spread her rug on the grass and sat down, releasing Taita from his leash, and pulled some toys out of her bag for him.  
  
The lively puppy pranced around with a knotted rope in his mouth, and then darted over so that Lita could play a game of tug-o-war with him. She smiled at the happy little dog, then as he calmed down she opened the book she'd brought, and engrossed herself in the story.  
  
"Hey." She looked up as she heard Hunter's voice.  
  
"Hey." Lita smiled as she greeted him, closing her book.  
  
"So what are you reading?" He asked, sitting down next to her, and turning over the book so that he could read the front cover. "Something I can't even pronounce. Good choice."  
  
She shook her head, laughing. "In English it's called Contest. It's in all of the book shops now, but my copy is written in French."  
  
"French?" Hunter repeated. "You actually read French?"  
  
"For many years now. My dad is French, so I learned the language growing up." Lita smiled at the fond memories that sprung to mind. Sitting on her father's lap, listening while he read to her in French, singing in French while her mother played the piano.  
  
"So anyway, I thought you might be hungry." He showed her a take away food bag. "Chinese."  
  
"When did you turn out to be so sweet?" She asked, leaning back against the tree behind her.  
  
He shrugged, and opened the bag, taking out a few plastic containers. "I got the basic stuff. Sweet and sour chicken, prawn crackers, honey prawns, special fried rice and fortune cookies."  
  
"Are you mad at me?" Lita asked out of the blue.  
  
"Why would I be mad at you?" He gave her a strange look.  
  
"I wasn't exactly very nice to you at breakfast."  
  
"Everyone's allowed to be a little bit cranky in the morning." Hunter gave her a lop-sided grin. "If they weren't, we'd beat up on Randy all of the time."  
  
"He's second only to Jericho for being cranky when he's woken up." Lita laughed. "I remember one time Jeff thought it would be funny to put shaving cream on him while he was asleep, you know, so he smeared it all over the place. Then before Jericho woke up the next morning, Jeff snuck back in and put the contents of about four ice cube trays in his bed. Now I don't know how much you know about Jericho, but he only sleeps in boxer shorts. He was as mad as I don't know... Eric when you try and screw him."  
  
Hunter laughed, and opened the honey prawns, then passed her a pair of chopsticks.  
  
The pair were still laughing and talking when they arrived back at the hotel.  
  
"So I'm guessing the bitchy mood has worn off?" Randy called from across the foyer.  
  
"What bitchy mood?" Lita asked as they walked over to the others. Her cheeks were flushed with laughing and her eyes were bright and happy.  
  
"Where have you two been?" Batista asked.  
  
"The park." Hunter told him.  
  
"And the beach." Lita added. "Do you guys want to go to a carnival? There's one on the promenade."  
  
"We figured that you guys might want to come so we came back."  
  
"So I could change my clothes among other things." Lita mock glared at Hunter.  
  
"I still maintain that you had the Pepsi." He told her.  
  
"Which doesn't really explain how I ended up covered in it." She shot back. "You guys make up your minds, I'm going up to have a quick shower, and feed Taita. I'll be down in twenty minutes."  
  
"Yes m'am." Hunter gave her a mock salute that sent Lita into peals of laughter as she turned towards the elevators.  
  
"Dude, what did you do to her?" Randy asked as they watched her go.  
  
"Took her some Chinese food for lunch, and spilled Pepsi on her. She's been in fine form ever since." Hunter grinned at them.  
  
"Certainly fine form." Batista observed. "If I didn't know any better I'd say that she was a different person."  
  
"So, are we going to the carnival?" Lita bounced excitedly on the balls of her feet, Taita dancing around her ankles like a ball of gray fluff.  
  
"Yeah, we're going." Batista told her, finding her smile to be infectious.  
  
"We invited a few others along," Randy told her, "Hope you don't mind."  
  
She shook her head, causing her dark brown waves to fly around her face. "Let's go."  
  
"Anyone would think you were a little kid." Drew told her as he, Scott and Stacy walked over to join them.  
  
Lita poked her tongue out at him. "Try to spoil my fun."  
  
"Yeah," Stacy elbowed him in the side, hooking her arm around Lita's. "Let's go."  
  
Lita screamed at the ride they were on spun upside-down, causing all of the others to look at her.  
  
Hunter found that she took his breath away once more as he watched her hair flying around her face, and the look of sheer pleasure and excitement on her face.  
  
Stacy on the other hand was clutching Scott's hand, looking incredibly green.  
  
In sheer delight Lita flung her arms up, feeling the wind rush over her skin and through her hair, tangling it wildly. She screamed again in delight, then a look of annoyance passed over her face as she realized that the ride was slowing down.  
  
"Come on Lita, we'll go back on later." Hunter told her, as she looked back longingly at the ride as they moved towards Randy, Ric and Drew, who had Taita with them.  
  
"Why don't we hit the arcade games?" Scott suggested, looking at Stacy, who was still quiet green.  
  
"Are you okay Stac?" Lita asked concerned about her friend, taking her bag from Ric.  
  
"I feel like I'm gonna..." Stacy put her hand to her mouth, and Lita grabbed her by the hand, dragging her into the nearest bathroom.  
  
"I think that's enough high-flying rides for you." Lita told her, handing Stacy some damp paper towel to wipe her mouth, while she used a little extra to dab at Stacy's neck and forehead.  
  
"I really don't think that one was such a good idea." Stacy moaned.  
  
"Do you want to head back to the hotel?" The brunette asked her friend.  
  
"No." Stacy shook her blonde head. "I think I just need to keep my feet on the ground for a while. I wish I had my toothbrush."  
  
Lita smiled and produced an airline packaged miniature toothbrush and tube of toothpaste, and a pocket pack of Listerine mouth fresh squares. "Will these help?"  
  
The two women rejoined the guys, who all looked concerned.  
  
"Are you okay?" Scott asked Stacy.  
  
"I think I just need to keep my feet on the ground for a while."  
  
Lita chuckled. "Remind me never to take you on those kind of rides again. Even Trish gets sick on them."  
  
"I guess you're just too extreme." Randy told her sarcastically.  
  
"I didn't see you on that ride." Lita told him, "Come on Stac, and let's go play some games."  
  
"This game has to be rigged." Drew said in frustration as he threw his third ball unsuccessfully at the tower of pins he was supposed to be knocking down.  
  
"Only to you." Hunter told him, picking up a ball and throwing it at the tower, which he missed completely, then turned around to face the others sheepishly.  
  
Lita grinned and stood on tiptoe to whisper in his ear. He listened to her speak, then nodded. "We'll try again." Hunter told the guy who was in charge, handing him another five-dollar bill.  
  
Drew gave Hunter a strange look, then shrugged his shoulders.  
  
"Two and two." Lita told him, "Alternate, or one after the other?"  
  
"Alternate." Hunter told her.  
  
She tossed a ball up in the air for him to catch. "You first."  
  
This time, Hunter took careful aim for the bottom pin, but missed hitting the box instead. "Okay then, Li, show us all what you're made of." He told Lita, passing her a ball.  
  
"Hold Taita for me." Lita passed him her shoulder bag where Taita was safe inside.  
  
As she got into a position so that she could throw the ball, the guy in charge kept talking to her, like he was trying to break her concentration.  
  
Lita half closed her eyes for a second, as though she was gauging the distance, then visualized the ball leaving her hand, making a perfect arc towards the middle pin on the bottom row, and then visualized all of the pins tumbling down.  
  
In a smooth motion she released the ball, which made contact with the middle pin, knocking the structure flying. As she turned around, Hunter gave her a high-5, and then spun her up into a hug. "Good job."  
  
"How did you just..?" Drew said in amazement.  
  
"Sheer dumb luck I guess." Lita smiled as the guy handed her a giant stuffed bear. "Here," She handed the bear to Hunter, taking her shoulder bag at the same time. "You can keep the bear. I've already got my baby."  
  
"Where did you learn to throw like that?" Batista asked as they walked away.  
  
Lita shrugged, a happy smile on her face. "Around."  
  
"Well I'd have loved to have learned to throw where you did." Ric told her.  
  
"I started off just throwing a tennis ball against one of the walls outside my house. Then I started aiming for bricks, I played softball. That's about it. I've always had good aim." 


	15. Chapter 15

A/M: I know, I know, I hopeless, I'll try to put some more stories up tomorrow, but don't hold me to it.  
  
Samantha.  
  
Ch. 14.  
  
Late at night Lita stood in the gym, unable to sleep, full of nervous energy.  
  
In the silence she trained, drilling with a pair of scys, forwards, backwards, figure-eights in various positions, moving over the mat with no sound, like a shadow, or the wisp of a memory.  
  
"So it looks like you're pretty good at that." Hunter told her, moving to the edge of the mat, watching her.  
  
Lita stopped, startled, and turned to face him. "I couldn't sleep. Too much going on in here." She gestured to her head with one hand, still clasping the scy.  
  
"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked, "I figured we should talk anyway."  
  
"Come and sit." She invited him, dropping down onto the mat, sitting with her legs crossed in the lotus position. Hunter dropped down next to her. "So what's on your mind?"  
  
"Everything actually." Lita told him. "You mostly." She admitted.  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Every part of me, every sense I have is screaming at me to just stay away from you, to try and keep myself safe for once. But then I stop and think, and I know that you wouldn't try to hurt me. You've been there too many times, when I needed someone. Not just someone to say 'it's alright', but someone who meant it when they said it. Do you understand?"  
  
"I think so." Hunter nodded. "When I broke up with Steph, I found out that there were two ways of saying 'it's alright'. The way people who believe it say it, and the way the ones who don't say it."  
  
Lita curled up on her side, resting her head on his leg. "Does it bother you that I'm... The way I am at the moment."  
  
"What way is that?" He rested one hand on her hip, not possessively, just comfortingly.  
  
"Running scared, commitment shy. Wary of any guy who looks at me the way that someone who loves me would look at me."  
  
"You just got out of a relationship you'd been in for a very long time, longer that a lot of marriages. Then you trust another guy who hurts you terribly, and don't deny it, because I know he did. I'd be worried about you if you weren't this way. It means you're human."  
  
For security she curled one hand around his knee, content just to lie there against him. "What are you thinking about?" She asked, her eyes half closed.  
  
"I don't know." He murmured. "I'm comfortable."  
  
A smile appeared at the corners of her lips, and Lita curled up to him just a little more.  
  
"Lita! Hunter! Are you here?" A voice was yelling, waking the pair suddenly.  
  
"There you are!" Ric said, rushing over to them, with a handful of people in tow. "Are you both okay?"  
  
Lita sat up, using Hunter to support herself, while her vision swam. "What the hell is going on?" She asked sleepily.  
  
"I don't think we got back to the hotel last night." Hunter told her, stretching, trying to relieve some of the stiffness in his muscles.  
  
"What the hell were you both thinking?" Steve fired at them. "Everyone's been frantic."  
  
"I couldn't sleep." Lita told him, hoping that an explanation would placate him. "So I came down here to see if I could work off some energy, and I guess I worked a little too hard. Hunter came down for a workout and found me here already."  
  
"And?" Steve pressed.  
  
Lita reached out to pick up the scys from where she'd dropped them last night. "And Hunter asked me what these were, so I started to explain." She answered. "It must have been really boring, because we both just woke up, so I don't think we got back to the hotel."  
  
"As long as you're both okay." Stacy told the pair, reaching down to help Lita up.  
  
"Why wouldn't we be?" Lita asked, a little confused.  
  
"You just had us all worried is all." Stacy told her. "We're all glad you're safe and sound, both of you." 


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Hey everyone, all my muses are going haywire at the moment, so I keep starting new stories, and then every time I start a new story, I get another idea. It's crazy, anyway enjoy, this was the last 'gap' for quite a while, so look forward to more frequent updates.  
  
Oh and JCWordlife=90, I have started on that challenge, I'm just working on the ideas, and with a bit of luck, we'll be up and running very soon.  
  
Samantha.  
  
btw, this story doesn't really follow a particular time line, so just take everything at face value.  
  
thanks.  
  
"Okay," Hunter began, "I know it's Lita's birthday soon, and we should throw her a party."  
  
"A party?" Randy asked.  
  
"Well we can't exactly do what we did for Batista's birthday." Hunter told him. "I don't think Lita would appreciate the lap dancers. I called Jeff Hardy, and we came up with a couple of ideas, the best one is a surprise party."  
  
"Sounds promising." Ric nodded. "Go on."  
  
"Hire out some carnival rides, invite all her closest friends, including her mom, have a kind of buffet style dinner." Hunter continued. "What do you guys think?"  
  
"Whipped." Ric sneezed, chuckling.  
  
"Sounds like fun." Randy nodded. "What do we need to do?"  
  
"Invitation list." Batista answered, "That's probably the biggest job, and we need to work out how to distract Lita." "Right." Ric nodded. "And then there's catering, and just general organizing to be done."  
  
"So it's not that big a job if we split it up." Hunter wheedled the others. "What do you guys think?"  
  
"I'll take decorations." Randy answered. "Batista?"  
  
"I'll organize the rides." He affirmed.  
  
"I'll look around and find a caterer." Ric nodded, "And maybe you could see if you can find a band or a DJ to play." He told Hunter. "Then we can all do a menu and guest list together."  
  
"Trish..." Hunter jogged to catch up with her in the hall.  
  
"What's going on?" She asked.  
  
"Look we're throwing a surprise party for Lita, for her birthday, and..."  
  
"You need some help?" She asked. "Jeff said you might."  
  
"So you know?"  
  
"Yeah." She nodded. "Let me know what I can do, okay?"  
  
"So, how goes the birthday plans?" Jeff asked the four men.  
  
"Great." Hunter told him. "Everything is just about set. The rides, the caterers, the band, all of the guests."  
  
"The menu is great too." Randy added, "Something for everyone."  
  
"And for dessert, Toblerone cheesecake." Hunter grinned, while Jeff paled. "I know she has a wicked sweet tooth."  
  
"Lita hates cheesecake." Jeff replied. "It's the only dessert she will not eat under any circumstances."  
  
"Shit." Almost all of the color had drained out of the four men's faces.  
  
"Well what does she like?" Ric asked, "What's her favorite?"  
  
"German chocolate cake." He answered promptly. "Or just about any cake really, as long as it doesn't have cheese and fruit in it."  
  
"What about her other favorite foods?" Batista asked. "Other stuff she likes to eat?"  
  
"Ceviche, she used to eat it like three times a week, and it was always on the menu at dad's place when we were home." Jeff nodded, "And Lita likes Miso soup, steamed tofu, broccoli, artichokes, she loves sushi, and all kinds of other stuff. Sort of like both ends of the spectrum, you know, outrageously sweet, and absolutely bad for you, and incredibly healthy too."  
  
"And exactly what doesn't she like?" Hunter added.  
  
"Mustard makes her gag, pickles, green peppers, but she does like red ones, carrots, cucumber and sour cream." Jeff counted on his fingers. "And also cheesecake, but she doesn't consider that a food."  
  
"Come on." Hunter coaxed her, "How often is it that you turn... twenty- nine?"  
  
"I've already turned twenty-nine, this morning." She answered. "And why are we going to the park now?"  
  
"Well, I was talking to... someone today, and there's this really cool climbing wall that I thought you'd really get a kick out of. So, with your birthday and all I tried to get a some other people to come, but pretty much everyone else is tied up with the signing tonight, or those extra promos that production has had to shoot." Hunter answered. "I figured we could at least do something special for your birthday, and then the other will probably want to take you out for something tomorrow, but as least this way, you won't be alone for your birthday."  
  
"It's sweet of you." Lita nodded. "I was kind of bummed when everyone else bailed on me, especially when Shane, Shannon, Jeff and Rey bailed. Every year we do something together, and it sounds stupid, but they took me out for dinner for my birthday once, and we went out to this ultra posh restaurant. Rey made the reservation and he warned the maitre'd that several of the guests would have colored hair, but even so we almost weren't allowed in, and then waiters and other staff started being really rude, so we ended up leaving."  
  
"You're kidding?" Hunter looked shocked as they walked. "How could they even do that?"  
  
"The guys were upset, and I was shattered, I mean they were so rude to us that I told them where to go, and Jeff told them where to go, Rey was cursing in Spanish, and it was so embarrassing, because of what the maitre'd was saying to us. When we got to the front desk, one of the younger waiters walked over to the maitre'd who was still berating us in front of a room full of diners, and said to him, 'Sir, I hope you know that these people are wrestlers, and TV stars.' The maitre'd nearly died on the spot, and started offering us all sorts of stuff to get us to stay, but I was already upset, and Rey and Jeff were just spitting chips. Shannon wasn't too happy either, but he was trying to make sure that I was okay."  
  
"So what did you do?"  
  
"We got back in the limo the guys had hired, they'd done everything to make the night special, and we sort of drove around for a while, deciding what to do, and we ended up laughing, because Shane's stomach was rumbling, and Shannon asked whether or not the limo would fit through the drive-thru at McDonalds. We couldn't help but laugh."  
  
"So did you?" Hunter asked, looking genuinely interested.  
  
"No." She giggled. "We went to Denny's, dressed up... you know, the guys were in suits, I was in a long dress, diamond jewelry, wrap, everything, and we walked into Denny's like there was nothing wrong in the world, ordered exactly what we wanted, and ended up signing so many autographs, and explaining why we were all so dressed up."  
  
"What about the other restaurant?"  
  
"The next morning Vince asked me how dinner was, because he was going there for a family dinner that night, and I told him everything. He went into the restaurant, cancelled his reservations, and got into a rather large argument with the maitre'd, and had the owner called in. We got an apology, and new reservations for that night, courtesy of the owner."  
  
"What did you do?" Hunter asked.  
  
"I called the owner, and told him that his discriminatory staff had embarrassed and humiliated my friends and I, and ruined my birthday, and that I would in no uncertain terms ever set foot in that restaurant again."  
  
"In other words, you told him to stick it."  
  
"Damn straight." Lita answered, and then looked around. "Shouldn't we have reached the climbing wall by now?"  
  
"It's just up ahead." He placated her. "Just..."  
  
They found themselves in a huge clearing, lights everywhere, and then about fifty or sixty people jumped out of hiding, with a huge cry of 'SURPRISE!'  
  
Lita promptly almost stumbled as her knees buckled, and it was only that Hunter reached out to grab her that she didn't fall.  
  
"Happy birthday." He said quietly in her ear, and she turned to hug him, then Ric, Randy and Batista who appeared beside her.  
  
"When did you all organize this?" She asked, tears springing unbidden to her eyes.  
  
"While you weren't looking." Randy grinned. "It wasn't easy."  
  
"What are these tears for?" Batista asked gently. "You should be happy."  
  
"He's right honey." Another voice agreed. "You should be happy."  
  
"Mom!" Lita threw her arms out to her mother, hugging her tightly.  
  
"Happy birthday baby." Alejandra Dumas told her daughter. "Happy birthday."  
  
"So now I'm thinking, does any one else get a hug?" John Cena's very familiar voice asked. "Because I'm starting to think I'm getting ripped. I mean, where's my hug? Lita's my best girl, so where's my hug?"  
  
She smiled widely at him, pulling away from her mother, and wrapping him up in a huge hug. "God you're a jerk sometimes." Lita shook her head at him. "But I still love you."  
  
"Hey, what about over here?" Jeff gave her a one-armed hug, swinging her around, in a playful DDT motion. "Happy birthday babe."  
  
"Thanks guys." Lita said again, taking in the band who stood waiting on the stage, several carnival rides, including a roller coaster, and a Ranger, which were all waiting for people to use them, Dodgem cars waited in their ring, and a multicolored version of Disneyland's famous teacups was already spinning. Caterers were putting out food and a large table was covered in presents. "This is amazing."  
  
"And you think keeping it all a secret wasn't?" Randy asked. "I almost told you five times. I still have the bruises."  
  
"Poor baby." She reached out to pat his cheek, then turned his head to one side. "Life must've been so hard for you."  
  
"You have no idea." Batista picked her up, seating her easily on one shoulder, one arm around her waist, the other up in the holding her hand for balance.  
  
"Put me down." She squealed, feeling a little off balance and vulnerable.  
  
"What do you say we all hit the rides?" Hunter said to her, which made her stop still and allow Batista to lower her back down to the ground.  
  
"Now contrary to popular belief tonight was very difficult to organize." Hunter began. "I mean we ordered this huge cheesecake for the birthday girl, only find out that she absolutely hates cheesecake. Then we realized that she doesn't eat a whole lot of other stuff either. So we kind of re- wrote the menu last night when she went to bed. Keeping her occupied all day wasn't easy either, so we set up and hung out with her in shifts. Then we almost didn't get here tonight, simply because she was going to sit and mope in her hotel room tonight."  
  
"Shut up." Lita called out to him, though her tone was playful.  
  
"So in the tradition of birthday speeches, Lita come on up here." Hunter finished.  
  
"No, no." She begged.  
  
"Come on, speech!" Jeff called out.  
  
"Alright." Lita walked onto the stage and hugged Hunter, then punched him under the ribs, and began to speak as he doubled over. "I just want to say thank you to you all, and that you can all keep really good secrets. I mean I can keep some, but I usually suck at it. Everything, the cakes, food, decorations, the band, the rides, everything is great. Thank you all so much. As Hunter and I were walking here I was telling him about my really suck-y birthday. The one where some of the guys got me all dressed up to go to this fancy restaurant, where we were insulted, and humiliated by the maitre'd, and we needless to say, didn't say very long. But this party is great. It's a lot of fun, and everyone who helped organize this had better come and see me before the night is over, because I want to thank you all personally. I love you all for coming, and everything, so thanks again everyone." 


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter.

Samantha.

"I've tried to make you understand Hunter," Kane raged at him, "But you still don't feel my pain!" With a sweeping gesture he moved to bring the chair down on Hunter again, but then Lita was standing there, in between them and he stopped, dropping the chair.

"I feel your pain." She told him quietly, then on impulse reached out to hug him, tears steaming down her cheeks.

Slowly, as though the gesture was alien to him, Kane reached up and rested one of his hands on the small of her back, trying to comfort her.

"Does this ass mean that much to you?" He asked her as Hunter writhed in pain on the mat.

"I don't know." Her voice was a little raspy when she answered. "But I don't want to hurt any more Kane. Please, don't hurt me." She closed her eyes in pain, and then opened them as he pulled away from her, sliding through the ropes, and walking back up the ramp, glancing back over his shoulder.

Lita dropped down at Hunter's side. "Are you okay?" She asked, worry evident in her voice.

He nodded slowly, and she moved to try and help him to his feet.

"Come on, let's get you out of here." Lita told him, trying to keep his mind busy.

"You just saved my ass you know." He murmured, not speaking loudly, in case someone was thrusting a microphone their way.

"I don't care," She answered, "But I couldn't let him hurt you." With one arm around his waist, she helped him up the ramp, until Ric and the other members of Evolution rushed down to help their blood spattered friend.

"Just get out!" Hunter bellowed at the trainer who was trying to dress his cuts. The trainer backed off immediately, and fled the room, barely acknowledging Lita as she walked in.

"What?" Hunter snapped at her, clearly in pain.

"I thought I'd come and check on you." She answered mildly.

"Stupid trainer." Hunter mumbled, gesturing to the array of medical supplies from the first aid kit, which littered the couch beside him.

"Sit down and let me have a look." She told him gently, seeing blood still seeping from several of the cuts.

Silently he complied, while Lita picked up a square of gauze, dampening it with some antiseptic and gently began to clean the cuts.

He hissed and pulled away from her hand as the antiseptic stung his wounds.

"Sit still." Lita reprimanded him gently, moving closer to him.

"This hurts you know." He told her, gesturing to the cuts on his head, and the swab of antiseptic covered gauze in her hand. Leaning closer to him, Lita blew gently on the antiseptic covered cuts on his forehead, and face.

Her breath was cool and sweet scented, like she'd just eaten vanilla ice cream, and the burning fire of the antiseptic ceased immediately. "Where did you learn that?" He asked, opening his eyes.

"I have no idea." She shrugged, throwing the square of gauze in the trash, and picking up a couple of adhesive gauze squares, covering the worst of the cuts with them.

"You have no idea the danger you put yourself in for me, do you?" Hunter asked her.

"I have some idea." She nodded, tidying up a little, throwing out some of the paper packaging from the adhesive bandages.

"Really?" He asked, "Because it seems like you have no idea." Now that he was all patched up, seeing her sitting there opposite him, just looking at him, made him furious that she'd put herself in so much danger to help him.

Ric, Randy, Batista and a number of other paused in the doorway as Hunter spoke.

"What would have happened if I hadn't gone out there?" She asked, anger fuelling the fire of her explosive temperament. "Can you tell me that? What would have happened?"

"I don't care." He told her, raising his voice, "You were absolutely stupid for even going near him. He could have killed you!"

"No, he wouldn't have. I've never betrayed him, Hunter! Kane knows that I wouldn't, and he knows that hurting you would hurt me. He'd never do that." She shouted back, not caring about the people who had crowded into the room, watching them.

"How can you be sure, Lita? How can you be so sure? He betrayed his own brother!"

"And 'Taker betrayed him. He was evening up an old score." She fired back, brushing a handful of dark brown hair out of her face.

"You don't understand do you?" Hunter asked her, not quite shouting. "Can you see it from where I'm standing? What if he had hurt you, Lita? I'd have that on my conscience for the rest of my life."

"Why would you have that on your conscience?" Lita asked, quickly displaying a fire that rivaled the red hair dye she used. "I'm the one who's in charge of me Hunter, not you. You can't tell me what I can and can't do. You told me that would never try to tell me who I could and couldn't see, even after Christian... And now you're trying to tell me what I can and can't do." She fumed, quickly crossing the line from angry to absolutely furious. "Don't you dare try to parent me!"

"I'm sorry." He told her, quickly calming down at the sight of her becoming so angry. "I didn't mean to... Make you so mad, but you scared the hell out of me." To try and calm her he wrapped his arm around her, pulling her into a hug. "I couldn't handle it if you got hurt." He whispered in her ear and he held onto her.

Having calmed down significantly, Lita pushed away from him. "Don't think I'm not still mad at you for being such a jerk, but I forgive you for now." She conceded.

"Does that mean there's not going to be a hand to hand fist fight?" Jericho asked.

"Get lost." Lita told him, her anger immediately resurfacing.

Seeing the glares of several other people turn towards him, Jericho sauntered off, making a strategic retreat.

Hunter looked at her, both making sure that she was okay, and trying to read her, to find out how she was feeling. "I know that you're mad at me now, but Lita I yelled at you because I care." He said to her, trying to explain himself.

Lita stared at him for a moment, then pushed her way through the crowd of on-lookers, so that she could disappear into the hall.

"Lita, wait!" Hunter called after her, ignoring the others, but she didn't stop.

"What's the matter?" Surprised by Lita's tears, Trish wrapped her arms around the brunette. "What's going on with you hey?"

"He loves me." Lita sobbed into the blonde's shoulder. "He loves me."

"Who?"

"Hunter." She answered, forcing herself to stop crying and drying her eyes on the hem of her shirt.

"So what's so bad about that?" Trish asked gently, brushing a lock of dark brown hair away from Lita's face.

"He said... and then we had a fight, and then he said it in front of everyone." When she spoke, Lita's voice was raspy and choked as dry sobs still wracked her body.

"Hunter told everyone he loves you?" Trish asked.

"He said in front of everyone that he cares about me."

"Honey, all of the guys 'care about you'." Trish told her. "Ric, Randy, Hunter, Batista, RVD, the Dudleyz."

"They don't care the same way." Lita answered. "Hunter's already told me that he loves me."

"You two get along really well." Trish reminded her. "Now are you afraid of him, or are you afraid of being hurt by him?"

"He wouldn't try and hurt me." She answered softly.

"So you're afraid of him?" Trish pressed.

"No.. I just..."

"You just what? You just want to be able to run away?" The blonde pressed on, speaking the words for Lita's own good. "If you want to run away, you'd be best to just tell him now, and not lead him on like Christian and Jericho did to us."

"Just calm down, Champ." Ric told him as he moved to go after her.

"How can I calm down?" Hunter asked him, "I just made her even more mad at me that she was before."

"I don't think she's mad at you." Batista told him. "Lita's a hitter. She would have stayed to smack you out."

"She knows that we all care." Ric placated him, "We just don't say it. I think she just got scared."

"Lita doesn't get scared." Randy shook his head. "She's crazy enough to go on carnival rides that are completely out there, and jump off tables and ladders and crap like that."

"She's still just a girl Randy." Hunter told the younger man. "And sometimes even that 'just a girl' gets scared." He paused. "I hope she doesn't hate me for this."


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: Next chapter, thanks to everyone who reviewed.

Samantha

"Have you guys seen Lita?" Rob Van Dam asked the four male members of Evolution who were sitting at the hotel bar.

"You mean she didn't go out with you and Trish and the others?" Ric asked, slightly alarmed.

"No, she didn't. I think she was supposed to meet us somewhere, but we couldn't reach her on her cell and she never showed up." Rob answered. "We just assumed she was with you guys and got side-tracked."

"She's been gone for hours." Hunter said quietly, and then looked at everyone. "If she wasn't with you, and we haven't seen her since... before the show finished, she's been missing for hours."

"We should start looking for her." Batista suggested, purely so that someone said it.

"I'll call up to Trish, make sure she's not there." Rob told them. "Then I'll see if some of the other guys will help us look."

"Good idea." Ric told him. "We'll split up and cover the hotel, the gym, and call the airport."

"And the park," Hunter told them. "She said that she liked to sit in a park and think. Someone should check there too."

"Right." Batista nodded. "Randy and I will go and talk to the hotel staff, maybe they've seen her."

"This is hopeless." Hunter shook his head. "I never should have said all of that stuff to her. I never should have yelled at her."

"It wasn't your fault." Trish told him.

"If we hadn't argued she wouldn't have run out, and we'd know where she is." Hunter told her, his tone betraying his frustration.

"You didn't do anything wrong." Trish told him firmly. "She came to see me after she'd run out on you, and I gave her a lot of hard love. Told her a lot of things that she probably didn't want to hear."

Everyone stared at her as she choked back a sob.

"What is it?" Stacy asked, "What did you just think about?"

"I told her..." Trish began between sobs, "I told her that she just wanted to run away. And now she's gone. God, if she gets hurt I'll never forgive myself."

"It's okay." Ric told her, "We'll find her."

"We couldn't find a trace of her at the gym." Batista and Randy reported as they walked into the room.

"We got nowhere fast too." Rob Van Dam and the Dudleys were the last to report back.

"No one has seen her, anywhere." D-Von told them. "We checked all the way down to the beach from the promenade to the water's edge for about ten miles either side of the intersection of the road the hotel's on, asked every person we saw if they'd seen her. She wouldn't have gotten much further if she went out."

"No," Randy shook his head. "I've been jogging with her a few times and she makes you go for miles. I think she could have gone further than ten miles if she really wanted to get away."

"It's late." Trish placated them. "Wherever Lita is, I'll bet you she's safe. If she doesn't turn up in the morning, we'll call the police."

Stacy put an arm around Trish, who leaned against the taller woman. "Trish is right, we're all tired, and confused. Let's get some sleep, and see how things look in the morning."

"Meet down here at seven." Ric decided. "If she contacts someone, call and let someone else know that she's safe."

Hunter unlocked his door, and walked into his hotel room silently.

Dumping his jacket, with his tie still stuffed in the breast pocket on the table beside the door, he moved into the room, flicking on a lamp instead of the overhead lights.

A figure lay curled up in one of the armchairs, her elbow resting on the arm of the chair, with her head resting on her hand.

The sheet of dark brown hair, still tinged slightly with red dye was unmistakable, especially when paired with the khaki cargo pants, and black tank top.

Carefully he reached out to pick her up, but before he touched her, Hunter was surprised to hear her say his name.

"Hunter?" Lita's voice was heavy with sleep when she spoke.

"I'm here." He answered softly, crouching down in front of her.

"I've been waiting for you to get back." She told him, blinking a little in the dim light.

"Shhh." Hunter told her, picking her up gently and laying her down on the bed. "Go back to sleep."

At once she curled up underneath the blankets, drifting back off to sleep. Lost in thought he brushed a stray lock of hair away from her face.

"Hunter?" A voice called him insistently from the door.

Silently he moved towards the speaker.

"We will find her, Champ." Ric reassured him.

"She'll be fine." Randy echoed.

Hunter just gestured for them to follow him, pointing to where Lita now lay, curled up in his bed. "I found her." He told them softly. "She was asleep in the chair. I just put her to bed."

"Thank god she's safe." Batista breathed.

The sound of a door slamming in the hall, made the four men start and turn to investigate the source of the noise.

When they turned back to Lita she was watching them, her brown eyes wide, but heavy with sleep. "What's going on?" She asked, her voice less heavy than before.

"Nothing Lita, it's okay." Hunter reassured her, "Go back to sleep."

"I'm awake now." She sat up a little, pulling her knees to her chest, and hugging the blankets to her.

"What happened to you?" Ric asked her, "Everyone's been worried sick."

"I had some... stuff on my mind." She answered vaguely. "I went out for a while, and then I came back here."

"Don't ever do it again." Batista told her. "Half the roster's been out looking for you."

"I'm sorry." Lita told him, her eyelids trying to close on her, while she lay back down and stared at them for a second.

"Don't worry about it." Hunter said gently.

Within seconds of speaking she was fast asleep again.

"What should we do?" Randy asked. "Do you want to move her into her own room?"

Hunter shook his head. "She's fine where she is. I can always sleep on the couch or something."

"As long as you're sure." Batista told him.

"Do you really have the heart to move her?" Hunter asked him, "When she looks so..."

"Peaceful." Randy supplied.

"Something like that." Hunter told them.

"I'll go and tell a few people she's safe before they go to sleep." Ric told him, "Come on you two." He gestured to Randy and Batista.

Once the three men had left the room, Hunter locked the door, and walked into the bathroom to change for bed.

When he moved down onto the bed beside Lita she shifted her position slightly to accommodate him as he wrapped his arms around her waist, then surprised him, by turning over so that they lay chest to chest, Lita's head cushioned against his bare chest as she slept on peacefully.


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: Wow it's been a while since I updated, but my computer crashed, well and truely just packed up on me.  
Thankfully now it's fixed, and thanks to you all, I have 100 reviews on this story, so thank you all very much, and just know, this is far from over.  
  
Samantha.  
  
Ch 16.  
  
When Lita woke late the next morning, Hunter was watching her, still holding her against his chest.  
  
"Hey." She said softly, shaking him out of his thoughts.  
  
"I was just thinking." He told her gently. "How did you sleep?"  
  
"Soundly." Lita smiled as she spoke.  
  
"Last night you said that you were waiting for me to get back." Hunter said to her, trying to prompt her into speaking.  
  
"You frightened me last night, I didn't know how to respond to you." Lita told him, her eyes wide and deep, like chocolate colored oceans that Hunter found himself drawn into. "And I ran. I couldn't... I don't know, I just couldn't be there, you know?"  
  
Hunter found himself nodding, understanding what she was trying to convey to him. "I'm sorry." He said to her,  
"It's just with Kane, I was so worried for you, and then seeing you sitting there like nothing had been wrong at all,  
I just snapped." He shook his head. "I just didn't want you to get hurt."  
  
"I do understand." She said softly, "But I did know what I was doing. I don't think Kane will try anything with you again. He wouldn't ever try anything that might hurt me."  
  
"I still don't trust him." Hunter shook his head, watching as Lita got out of bed.  
  
"I should head back to my room, take a shower and let everyone know that I'm okay, and I'm sorry for all the trouble they went to."

-----------------

"Hey Lita!" Rob called to her as she walked down the hall to her own room.  
  
She stopped and turned to face him, surprised when he pulled her into a hug. "What's going on?" She asked.

"You had us all worried last night." He told her.  
  
"I didn't mean to make everyone worry." She said softly. "I just needed some time out I guess.""In Hunter's room?" Rob asked with a raised eyebrow, folding his arms.  
  
"After I got in last night, I thought I'd sit there and talk to the guys when they came up." Lita began. "But they met up with you and that raised the alarm that no one had seen me, and they didn't get upstairs until late. I was sound asleep when Hunter found me."  
  
"As long as you aren't getting yourself all mixed up." He told her, concern evident in his voice. "No one wants to see you hurt again."  
  
"Thank you for thinking of me." She hugged him and then walked into her hotel room.  
  
"I really am sorry you guys went to so much trouble last night." Lita apologised over breakfast.  
  
"Don't worry about it." Bubba Dudley shook his head, looking highly amused. "I can't believe that we didn't think of somewhere so simple."  
  
"I can only run and hide for so long." Lita grinned.  
  
"Yeah, like the time you were seven and ran away from home for all of an hour." A voice from behind her said,  
gently laced with a Spanish accent.  
  
"Rey!" She sprang out of her seat to lock both arms around his neck. "I missed you."  
  
"And it sounds like I missed some fun last night, hey luchadora?" He teased. "Other that that, how are you?"  
  
"Vale." She made a so-so gesture with her hand.  
  
"Only okay?" Jeff asked, translating one of the only Spanish words he knew.  
  
"Better now that you're here." She grinned, hugging him too. "What are you guys doing here?"  
  
"Combination of things really." Jeff shrugged.  
  
"Time off work." Rey began.  
  
"Training." Jeff added.  
  
"And most of all, we missed you." Rey squeezed her around the waist.  
  
"Training?" Lita shot Jeff a look.  
  
"I decided that while I was cleaning my life up I needed to structure it. I went and had a long talk with Vince and Linda McMahon, told them everything. On Thursday I start back on SMACKDOWN!, then if I like it I'll stay, or if I decide I'm going to jump ship I'll join RAW and kick Matt's ass. Just like old times." Jeff shot her a lop-sided grin. "I love you so much, for everything."  
  
Lita smiled at him, not a grin, but a real true 'I'm so proud of you' smile and kissed his cheek. "You're doing okay brat, and I'm really proud of you." Very few people at the table understood the full extent of her words, but still nodded, feeling that they were still appropriate.  
  
"So mamacita, what do you say we head into the city and find us some decent nachos?" Rey asked, with a grin,  
knowing her answer already.  
  
"Si, luchador." She answered with a grin on her face, hooking her arm through his. "Are you guys coming?" She asked her stable mates.  
  
"Sorry Li." Hunter apologised. "We've got work to do right now. Give us a call, maybe we can all meet up later today."  
  
"What about you Tish?" Jeff asked the blonde Canadian, using an old nickname for her. "You feel like some unpronounceable Spanish food that only Li and Rey can order?"  
  
"I don't know..." She answered slowly.  
  
"We'll leave all our issues at the hotel." Jeff told her. "Come and enjoy yourself. You two ladies look like you need some time out to relax."  
  
"And look who we've chosen to take us and help us relax." Lita teased him.  
  
"All right, I'm in." Trish agreed. "Good Spanish food is hard to knock back."  
  
"And what about the company?" Rey asked her.  
  
"Come on, let's get out of here!" Lita bounced excitedly on the balls of her feet.  
  
"Lita." Hunter spoke her name, calming her instantly. "Take the limo."  
  
"You are the best." She bounced over and kissed his cheek before linking arms with Trish and practically dancing out of the room.  
  
While Jeff stood there a moment, watching Hunter before speaking, "You know if you spoil her too much, she'll expect it all the time. It's just a thought anyway." With those words Jeff left the room after the others.  
  
"I think you just made her day." Batista told him, watching the four people leave the room.  
  
"She's happy." Hunter told him simply. "I like being able to make sure she stays that way."  
  
"You have a thing for her, don't you?" D-Von Dudley pounced. "Don't even deny it because the look on your face tells it all."  
  
Rob Van Dam shook his head, "Dude, I wouldn't want to be you when Jeff finds out. He's always been more protective of her than Matt ever was."  
  
"He knows." Hunter told him, not even bothering to deny it. "So does she. It's probably why she's got me wrapped around her little finger."  
  
"Don't you dare hurt her." Bubba warned. "She's been through enough lately."  
  
"I know." Hunter told him, feeling a surge of annoyance. "Believe me, I know. I sat with her while she cried over Christian until 4:30 in the morning, and I sat there in the gym with her and listened to her talk about what was going on. Nothing will happen between us until she tells me that she's ready, and I know it."  
  
"Wait a minute." Randy put his hands up. "You have a thing for her? Where have I been?"  
  
"In your special place, Randy." Hunter told him, speaking the same way he would speak to a small child.  
  
"Dude, so when you slept with her in Florida..."  
  
"I did not sleep with her in Florida." Hunter cut him off instantly. "We just ended up sharing the same bed. It happens every so often."  
  
"Every so often?" Rob asked, looking slightly amused.  
  
"Don't start." Hunter told him, but the tone of his voice wasn't nasty, or agressive. 

----------------------

"I don't think I could eat another thing." Trish groaned.  
  
"What do you girls want to do next?" Rey asked the two divas.  
  
"Can we go into a tattoo parlor?" Lita asked.  
  
"You want to get another one done?" Jeff looked at her surprised.  
  
"I'm thinking about it." She answered. "I'll know if I see the right one, or I might use one of my drawings for the design."  
  
"So what have you got now?" Trish asked , "One on your shoulder, back, and the inside of your lip."  
  
"And the back of my neck." Lita paused to lift up her hair showing the barcode tattoo. "Jess Alba and I got matching tattoos a week before I broke my neck."  
  
"So if you get another one, where will you put it?" Rey asked.  
  
"Either on my hip, thigh, lower back or belly."  
  
"Girl, that looks awesome." Jeff told her, staring at the newly imprinted design on her lower back.  
  
"It's really something different." Rey nodded. "I like it."  
  
"Does it mean anything at all?" Trish asked.  
  
"Nothing special." Lita shrugged, "It just reminds something I saw a long time ago." She smiled as she thought about the tattoo which covered her lower back.  
  
"I can't believe you drew that." Jeff told her. "It's so good."  
  
"Actually I drew it last night while I was waiting for the guys to get in, before I fell asleep."  
  
"I still can't believe you almost fell asleep on the table while the tattoo artist was working." Rey shook his head,  
gesturing to the tattoos on the insides of his arms. "These hurt enough."  
  
"So did you four have a good day?" Ric asked seeing Lita and her friends walk into the dining room.  
  
Lita beamed, and nodded.  
  
"How was the Spanish food?" Batista asked.  
  
"If I never see paella again, I won't be sorry." Jeff told them , "But it was really good. I think I just ate too much."  
  
Hunter reached out to put his arm around Lita as she sat down, but froze as she winced when his hand touched her lower back. "What happened?" He asked, alarmed.  
  
"I got a new tattoo." She confessed.  
  
"Show us." Randy told her.  
  
She turned around and lifted the back of her shirt to reveal the new design.  
  
"Shit girl," Batista began, "That must have killed."  
  
"She almost went to sleep on the table." Rey told him. "Luchadora's got a high threshold for pain. We just didn't realise that it was so high."  
  
Lita smiled and tried not to wince as Hunter lightly traced the design with his fingers. "What's it of?" He asked.  
  
"I saw something like it a long time ago." Lita told him. "This one's a little different. I drew it while I was waiting for you guys to get in last night."  
  
Hunter smiled at her. "I like it."  
  
"I'm glad I have your approval when it comes to what I put on my own body." She told him, half sarcastically, but still smiling. 


	20. Chapter 20

Thanks for the reviews everyone, I really appreciate them. I'm going away for a couple of days next week, but I'll try to update again before I leave.  
  
Thanks,  
  
Samantha.

-------------------  
  
Ch17.  
  
"Hey Ric." Lita spoke into her cell phone, watching for her flight number to appear on the screen.  
  
"Lita, what's going on?" He asked.  
  
"I can't make it to work Monday night." She told him. "Something important has come up and I was hoping that you could cover for me. It's a family thing or I'd come to work, but it is really important."  
  
"I'll see what I can do." Ric promised, "And I'll try to make sure you aren't in a bra and panties match or anything for next week."  
  
"Thanks Ric. Tell the guys I'm sorry and I'll see you all in San Francisco."  
  
"Promise. Have fun, be careful. You know the drill."  
  
"Bye."

--------------------"Well," Chris Jericho began, standing in the middle of the ring, his Highlight Reel set spread out around him.  
"Live on RAW tonight, Chris Jericho, the King of the World, Highlight of the Night, the Huge Rockstar, brings you ass clowns an interview with the World's Heavyweight Champion, Triple H!"  
  
Hunter walked down to the ring, not too impressed about being told he had to do the interview. He slid into the ring and shook Jericho's hand, even though he wanted to punch him in the face as hard as possible for the bet about Trish and Lita.  
  
"Welcome to the Highlight Reel." Jericho greeted him. "Have a seat."  
  
"Thank you." Hunter answered, purely to be polite.  
  
"So, Hunter, what do you think of the newest member of Evolution, Lita, remembering that she is the only female member?" Chris asked straight away.  
  
"Honestly? I think she's beautiful. Lita's a beautiful woman, but she also has a great personality and a clever mind. You really have to pay attention to her all of the time in order to keep up with her. She's also a really giving person. I mean all you have to say to her is something like 'I don't have any plans for the week,' and she'll say 'come home with me, I can find stuff for us both to do."  
  
"Stuff for you to do?" Jericho asked, looking rather lecherous.  
  
"She does heaps of community work." Hunter explained. "Not just with animal shelters. It's great to see her in her home town. She's got time for everyone, and she'll head out on a Saturday morning, or Thursday night and cheer on a local kids soccer or basketball team, anything hands on where she can really get involved."  
  
"What about that thing with Kane last week? Neither of you seemed too happy afterwards."  
  
"She didn't feel like she was in any danger from Kane." Hunter shook his head. "I thought he was going to try and brain her with that chair. We've agreed to disagree."  
  
Jericho paused, then spoke again. "Now Lita's off this week, I mean she's not even here, at the arena. Any clue in where she is?"  
  
"Something came up, and she had some stuff to sort out."  
  
"Be straight with me." Jericho told him. "Is Lita pregnant?"  
  
Inspite of himself, Hunter began to laugh. "To the best of my knowledge, no, Lita's not pregnant."

"What do you think of her, as a person?"  
  
"What do I think of her?" Hunter repeated. "You can walk into the women's locker room and no offense to the other divas, but you can just see Lita, even in a crowded room, full of noise and activity, she just sparkles. You can see the way she embraces life and she just holds her arms open to whatever life gives her, and no matter what that is, she can stay positive."  
  
"That's pretty lyrical coming from you." Jericho observed.  
  
"I'd say it's more of an observation, and as Evolution's resident goddess, she is more than everything else and everyone else."  
  
"But not quite on your level?"  
  
"Out of everyone in this company, she's the only woman who can exist at my level." Hunter told him.  
"So where exactly is she?" Jericho asked.  
  
"I have no idea, just that she called in transit and told us that something important had come up and she wouldn't be able to make it to RAW tonight. Lita also wanted to apologise to her fans."  
  
"That's kind of irresponsible of her though, isn't it? She had a match booked here tonight against Victoria, a number one contender's match for the Women's Title."  
  
"Family is more important to her." Hunter shrugged.  
  
"Did she say what was the matter at all?"  
  
"Knowing Lita, 'family' could be anyone, anywhere." He answered.

---------------------

"Parents, siblings, spouses, and friends. Tall Oaks Rehabilitation facility welcomes you here this weekend to learn about the problems the people you love have been facing, and also to learn how you can help them on their road to recovery." The chief speaker greeted everyone.  
  
By her side Jeff tensed slightly, a little uncomfortable.  
  
To calm him, Lita reached out and squeezed his hand, leaning over slightly to whisper in his ear. "I'm very proud of you."  
  
"Thanks for being here." He told her. "I wasn't sure who else to ask."  
  
"I was happy to come Jeff. I want to find out other ways that I can help you."  
  
"Thanks for not judging me Li. And thanks for not hanging up the phone every night."  
  
"If you can't ask someone you love for help, who can you ask?" She reminded him.  
  
"That's a valid point, Miss..." The speaker said, looking at Lita.  
  
"Just Lita." She told him.  
  
"And that is why you're all here." He told everyone. "Lita, who are you here to support?"  
  
"Jeff." She answered, deliberately leaving off his last name.  
  
"And you're his..?"  
  
"I'm one of his best friends." Lita told him.  
  
"Jeff, you asked Lita here?"  
  
Jeff just nodded, his hair no longer in multicolored streaks, but almost completely dark blonde.  
  
"Why Lita?"  
  
"Because I know that she understands what I'm going through, and she knows me probably better than anyone. Lita will help me if I need it, but she won't try to do everything for me."  
  
"How do you mean?" The speaker asked.  
  
"I went to Lita when I realised that I needed help. She told me that she was proud that I knew I needed help, and glad that I had gone to her. She sat me down in front of a drawer full of rehab facility brochures and told me to choose the one that suited me."  
  
"It sounds like you've had some experience in these matters." The speaker said to Lita.  
  
"I'm an addict." She answered simply. "My drug of choice is painkillers. I've been clean for fifteen months, two weeks and four days." Lita did the quick calculation in her head.  
  
"It sounds as though you've been very supportive of Jeff."  
  
"I remember what it feels like, when you're stuck between a rock and... another rock. And I know that when someone comes to me, and asks for my help they genuinely need it."  
  
"When Jeff first told you about his addiction, what did you say?"  
  
"I told him that I was glad he felt he could come to me, and I told him that if he wanted to get better he had to want to do it for himself."  
  
"What does everyone else think about Lita's initial response?" The speaker asked everyone else.  
  
"I wish my friends had been that supportive."  
  
"I think I would like to be able to respond to someone in that way."  
  
"I guess there are different ways of going about getting help for the people you love."  
  
"What do you think about hard love?" The speaker asked out of curiousity.  
  
"I think that if someone comes to you, having got up the courage to let their guard down and ask for your help, the person is going to feel a lot worse, and a lot more helpless."  
  
"Now what do you mean by helpless?" The speaker asked.  
  
"The catalyst for my addiction was breaking my neck." Lita began. "I had three or four surgeries and I was in absolute agony for months, but it was okay because I had a high pain threshold. My doctor put me on pain medication. The medication managed to dull the pain, and I just kept on taking them, until all my resistance to pain was gone. I remember hitting my hand on a bench, and because it hurt I took pain killers. So I got help, and did my twenty-eight days, several times. Last week I got a new tattoo, but instead of needing to take pain killers, I almost fell asleep on the table."  
  
The speaker nodded. "So by sitting Jeff down and letting him choose the rehabilitation facility, what were you trying to do?"  
  
"Give Jeff some control, because as an addict you've lost control, even if it's just control over your body's desire for your drug of choice. I found that when I was in rehab, I was more comfortable, and more open in a place where the program suited my needs as an addict."

------------------

"Thanks for being here." Jeff told her as they sat in the dining room eating dinner. "I'll bet Matt would have just said 'it's not about Version 1, it's not worth it.'"  
  
"You know he wouldn't have said that." Lita admonished him. "We both know that he would have been overconcerned and worried about you."  
  
"Hey, Jeff man." Several people sat down at their table, plonking their trays down.  
  
"Hey guys." He greeted them. "Li, this is Carol, James, Luke and Eliza."  
  
"It's nice to meet you all." Lita smiled at them.  
  
"It's nice to finally meet you." One of the women told her. "Jeff talks about you all the time."  
  
Lita shot Jeff a glance as he looked away. "The guys can't believe how much I talk about you either." She smiled at him. "Apparently, everywhere we go that we've been before I have some story about what you and I got up to there."  
  
Jeff grinned, then stared at her. "You're supposed to be at work."  
  
She shrugged. "Family comes before work. Always has."  
  
"You guys are both pro wrestlers right?" The younger of the two guys asked. "Jeff Hardy and Lita. I didn't recognise you."  
  
Lita smiled. "We both look a little different when we're not in the ring." She gestured to her comfortably baggy jeans, and fitted t-shirt.  
  
"So are you with anyone at the moment?" He asked.  
  
"Just my stable, Evolution."  
  
"I still can't believe that you and Matt broke up." One girl said from the next table.  
  
"Yeah, that was kind of tough." Lita nodded. "But I've moved on from him, I think."


	21. Chapter 21

Here we go, another chapter, but I think I'll post two now, maybe, depends how much time i have on the computer, because I'm going away tomorrow.  
I'm going to see my friend Nichole in Hobart, Tasmania, and we're going to have a blast!!!  
  
Samantha  
  
-------------  
  
Ch 18.  
  
"We're being interviewed by a guy named Alex Russell." Ric told them. "He's known for throwing questions out of left field, so be careful."  
  
Lita, though she heard him, didn't bother to acknowledge his words, simply crossed her legs, and picked up her coffee.  
  
"Hi guys." Alex said as he breezed into the room. "Sorry about the wait. It's nice to meet you all."  
  
"Likewise." Hunter replied, reaching out to shake the man's hand.  
  
"So here I am, sitting with the five members of Evolution." Alex sat down in a vacant chair, and set a portable recorder on the table. Lita simply leaned over to put her coffee cup on the table and settled comfortably in the chair she'd chosen.  
  
"Lita, I might ask you the first question," Alex began, "What's it like to be the only female member of Evolution?"  
  
In response Lita shrugged, then became more animated. "I love it, I love the atmosphere that you get belonging to a stable, it's not 'every man for himself', because you're working towards a common goal. Plus, these guys are a lot sweeter than they look."  
  
"Is that so? What sorts of stuff do they get up to?"  
  
"I don't know, they're just not what you'd expect if you knew them really well. Except Randy, he's still up himself."  
  
At her words Hunter and Batista chuckled, while Ric rolled his eyes at Randy, who was struggling not to respond.  
  
"What about you guys, what do you think of your new female member?"  
  
"Well guys, that's my cue to leave." Lita stood up.  
  
"You don't have to go." Hunter told her, "Alex can retract the question."  
  
"You guys can answer it without me here, and I can go to the bathroom, and get another coffee." Lita told him. "I won't be long, so figure out your answers fast."  
  
"She won't be long?" Randy asked.  
  
"I think since she joined us we've all really gotten used to the 'bathroom breaks' and everything." Batista spoke up.  
"But she's a great person too."  
  
Hunter nodded. "She just gives and gives. She's a beautiful person once you get to know her, but she does like to shock us all."  
  
"Like the time we walked in to our locker room and thought she was walking around in her underwear." Randy smiled, showing genuine brotherly affection for the raven haired diva.  
  
"She laughed at us for almost walking back out." Batista shook his head.  
  
"Seriously, though what's the 'real' Lita like?" Alex pressed them.  
  
"Driven." Ric answered. "She's very driven. She chooses something she wants and works towards it until she achieves it. It's amazing to watch her train."  
  
"Lita's a very giving person." Hunter added. "It wouldn't matter what you asked her, she'd find a way to help you.  
Even after the crappiest of days when you've lost your match, gotten hurt, lost your carkeys, locked your key card in your hotel room and missed your flight home, she'd be the one standing there with two cups of coffee in her hands saying 'come sit down and tell me all about it.'" The other guys nodded at Hunter's words.  
  
"She's not really one of the girls, you know what we mean?" Ric asked Alex. "She fits in so well with all of us that it's amazing she hasn't been with us all along."  
  
"And she's not afraid to be different, or to play on the guys level." Batista added. "I don't think anyone who has met her could say anything bad about her."  
  
"In one word, I'd probably describe her as 'resiliant'." Hunter told them. "She's the only diva to ever come back from a broken neck, and one of only a handful of superstars who have come back from the type of broken neck,  
when vertebrae fusion surgery is performed. As far as we're concerned everything she does is amazing."  
  
"What about Christian?" Alex asked.  
  
"She's hurt by the bet he had with Chris Jericho, obviously." Ric answered, "But she's going to be okay."  
  
"That's good to hear." Alex answered. "There's rumors going around the business that she's seeing someone new,  
are there any truth to those?"  
  
"If there was any truth to those rumors, the guys would know all about it." Lita said, finally making her presence known as she leaned against the door frame. "I'm not seeing anyone new. I don't think I will be for quite some time." Instead of walking over to her own chair she dropped down on the sofa next to Hunter, curling up against him. "The other great thing about being part of a stable is the closeness between the members. You all start out being friends or acquaintances. But instead of staying that way, you become family. It's the best kind, because being a member of Evolution, I get to take my family on the road with me. In this business, it's the best kind of support you can have."  
  
"And with your experiences with the Hardy Boyz, and Team Xtreme I suppose you'd be one of the most educated people in the business of sports entertainment on the importance of stables." Alex said to her, trying to provoke some kind of a reaction.  
  
"We don't argue as much as I did with Matt and Jeff in Team Xtreme." Lita smiled.  
  
"There's no real competition between us." Hunter added, "We're all aimed in different directions, goal-wise, but career-wise, we all want to be the best in our fields."  
  
"That sounds like a reasonable aim." Alex nodded, "Do you have many interests besides wrestling?"  
  
Lita laughed. "Hunter and Randy are very into cars."  
  
"And someone is obsessed with her pets." Randy shot back.  
  
"At least I'm not obsessed with myself." Lita told him, scoring high-5's from Hunter and Batista.  
  
"You just got rolled, dude." Batista told the youngest member of Evolution.  
  
"What about your relationship with Kane, Lita? I saw that you came to Hunter's aid several weeks ago, and you hugged him, then he left the ring."  
  
"No comment." She said calmly, her voice very relaxed.  
  
"What did you say to him to make him leave?"  
  
"No comment." She repeated.  
  
"Could you speculate on why he did leave?"  
  
"Are you married?" Her question threw him completely, making him forget what he'd asked her.  
  
"Uh, no. Why do you ask?"  
  
"No reason." She shrugged, and picked up her coffee cup, which was empty again, then set it back down and picked up Hunter's cup, taking several sips before setting back down on the table. "You still drink water." She told him, wrinkling up her nose.  
  
He chuckled, "Not that argument again."  
  
"I can't help it if you still have little kid's coffee." Lita teased, nudging him in the side.  
  
"I'm still surprised your coffee is fluid and not sludge." He teased her back.  
  
"Give me a double expresso any day over the water you drink." She laughed.  
  
"You all seem to interact really well." Alex commented.  
  
"Like Lita said before, we're close enough to be family." Ric told the interviewer.  
  
"Do you think my photographer could get some pictures of the five of you?"  
  
Lita shrugged, then stood up stretching, before she gestured to the couch. "Come on guys, sit."  
  
Somehow the four guys managed to squeeze onto the three-seater couch, before Lita sat down on Hunter's lap,  
resting her legs on Batista's knees.  
  
They posed in several positions before they had individual pictures taken, starting with Lita.  
  
"Stop making me laugh guys." She giggled as Randy and Batista pulled faces.  
  
As the photographer was just about finished, Hunter picked her up and the pair had several photos taken together,  
until Lita pulled away from him so that Hunter could have his individual photos taken.  
  
------------------  
  
"It looks like someone had a bit too much excitement for one day." Alex said, looking at Lita, when she was curled up asleep in the chair.  
  
"Or just a big night last night." Hunter smiled at her sleeping form.  
  
"I think she's best when she's asleep." Randy told the others. "She's so much quieter."  
  
"Don't be horrible." Batista warned the younger man. "Or we'll tell her and she'll give you hell when she wakes up."  
  
"We'd better get going." Ric told Alex, "Get Lita back to the hotel."  
  
"Thanks for the interview." He answered, watching as Hunter bent down in front of her.  
  
"Lita, babe, it's time to go."Hunter said softly, reaching out to touch her face. "Do you want to wake up, or do you want me to carry you?"  
  
Without answering Lita moved slightly, holding her arms out to him so that he could pick her up. Ric bent over to pick up her shoulder bag, Taita still sleeping inside.  
  
-------------------  
  
"What's going on?" Steve asked as he saw Hunter carrying Lita into the hotel.  
  
"She's all right." Batista answered, "Just sound asleep."  
  
"She fell asleep towards the end of our interview." Ric explained, passing Lita's bag to Hunter, while he moved towards the elevators.  
  
In her room Hunter set Lita gently down on the bed, unlacing and removing her boots before he covered her over with a blanket, Taita curled up next to her on the bed.  
  
"Hunter?" She said softly as he turned to leave the room. "Thank you for taking care of me."  
  
He walked back over to her and kissed her forehead. "Don't worry about it."  
  
She looked up at him, a gentle smile playing over her features as she reached up to kiss him gently on the mouth,  
her lips warm and supple against his, before she broke the kiss, falling asleep again.  
  
"I love you babe." He said softly, watching her for several moments as she slept. 


	22. Chapter 22

Sorry guys, I ran out of time to upload this chap!!!  
  
Ch 19.  
  
"Guess what!" Ric exclaimed as he, Randy, and Batista barged into Hunter's room.  
  
Woken up by the noise the three men made Hunter and Lita both sat up in bed, which made the three men stop in their tracks.  
  
"Shit." Batista shook his head seeing the two of them in bed together.  
  
"Sorry guys." Ric put his hands up, "Didn't know."  
  
"It's not a big deal." Lita punctuated her words with a yawn, then gestured to her pyjama top. "We're both fully clothed. We fell asleep watching a video."  
  
As if to prove her point Hunter picked the remote up off his night table and switched off the TV, which had been left on when they'd fallen asleep.  
  
"Still, sorry guys, we didn't think to knock." Ric shook his head, "We'll go, okay."  
  
"Before you do, what's going on?" Hunter asked, shaking the sleep out of his eyes. "Now that we're up we might as well be up for a reason."  
  
Lita yawned, agreeing with him, before curling back up under the blankets.  
  
"Oh uh, there's going to be a tag team match." Randy told them, still staring at Lita.  
  
"Do I have strange bed hair or something?" She asked him as she noticed him staring at her, bringing one hand up to touch her hair, making sure that it wasn't as bad as she thought.  
  
"Uh, no." Randy shook his head, and trained his gaze anywhere but on her.  
  
"So this tag team match," Ric picked up where Randy had left off. "It's Jericho and Christian versus Triple H and Lita."  
  
At once Lita seemed to wake up. "Bischoff wants me to wrestle Jericho and Christian?" When she spoke her voice was tinged with something that none of the men could quite place.  
  
"You'll be fine." Ric told her. "You've been in the ring with some of the best in the business and you've always put up a good fight."  
  
"But they both hate me." She said softly, "Jericho alone has nearly a hundred pounds on me."  
  
"You'll be fine." Hunter reassured her. "I'll be with you the whole time."  
  
"Except when I'm isolated in the ring for being the weak link." She snapped, then rested her head on his shoulder.  
"I'm sorry, I just don't know how I'm supposed to take this."  
  
"You'll be fine." Batista told her, "If anything goes sideways, Ric will be at ringside, and I'll arrange it so that I'm in the crowd. You won't be alone at all."  
  
She stared at each of them, her gaze wary.  
  
"You'll be safe." Hunter promised. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I promise."  
  
In front of the others Lita reached out and squeezed his hand. "Sometimes you can't help it, sometimes things just happen."  
  
Shrugging her shoulders she pulled away from him, and got out of bed. "I think I'm gonna see if Trish or someone wants to go shopping."  
  
The four men watched her go.  
  
"She's not happy about this." Hunter shook his head and stood up, shoving the covers off to reveal a pair of navy blue sweat pants.  
  
"I can't do much about it now Champ." Ric told him. "We'll just have to make sure we take care of her."  
  
---------------  
  
"So how are you doing?" Hunter asked, watching as she dropped to her knees on the mat, tape still wound around her fists to provide them some measure of protection from the canvas punching bag she'd been taking her frustrations out on.  
  
Her chest heaving as she panted for breath, Lita turned to look at him, sweat glistening on her brow. "Just fucking wonderful." She panted, doubling over slightly, resting her fists on her thighs.  
  
Hunter walked over to her and knelt down beside the brunette, offering her a bottle of water.  
  
Lita accepted it without speaking, only taking several sips.  
  
"So you want to take a shower?" He asked with a grin, trying to make her smile. "I mean, I could always use one myself."  
  
A smile turned up the corners of her mouth as she gave him a shove. "Flirt."  
  
"I'll give you flirt." He teased, grabbing hold of her around the waist, and swinging her up into the air.  
  
She screamed in surprise, then in shock as he held her easily, suspended six or seven feet above the mat. After several seconds of just being held there, Hunter's strength unfailing Lita began to laugh, and threw her arms out not for balance, but to feel the freedom of the space around her as she was suspended in mid-air.  
  
"Do you trust me?" He asked, unwavering in his hold of her.  
  
"Yes." She grinned, then screamed as he turned her upside down.  
  
"Do you still trust me?"  
  
"Yes I still trust you, now put me down!" Lita demanded, though her tone was not angry, or upset.  
  
Silently he lowered her to the floor, still holding her by the waist as he turned her to face him. "So you trust me when I say that I will never let you fall?"  
  
She looked up at him, her eyes meeting his, giving him a window into her mind. "I trust you."  
  
"Do you trust me when I say that I will never let anything happen to you?"  
  
Lita bit her lip, a little startled by his intensity, and protectiveness. "I know that you would never intentionally let someone hurt me, and I know that you would do your best to keep me safe." She answered. "But I'm afraid."  
  
Hunter looked startled by her admission. "I'll look after you."  
  
"And I'll do my best to hold my own." She whispered, her voice barely audible as she hugged him close, resting her head against his chest.  
  
---------------  
  
"Accompanied to the ring by Ric Flair, the Tag Team of Lita and Triple H!" Lillian announced as the trio made their way down to the ring.  
  
"Just keep your cool." Ric advised them both. "Remember Batista's in the audience, you can see him out there,  
holding an 'Evolution's Goddess' sign."  
  
Lita nodded.  
  
"Don't worry." Hunter told her. "When they come out, Randy will move to the top of the ramp, backstage. From there he's going to use the little door to bring him out on the left side of the ramp. He's there if we need him too."  
  
She nodded almost imperceptibly as Hunter slid into the ring and pulled the ropes apart for her.  
In the ring, Lita calmed herself by finding Batista in the audience while she stood on the turnbuckle.  
  
"This is an unfair match." JR's voice said over the loudspeakers. "A really unfair match. Putting Lita in a match like this."  
  
"She has wrestled the men before though, JR." King answered.  
  
"Never in a match like this King. Pitting two men against another man and a women. It's ludicrous."  
  
"I think Evolution may just even up the odds."  
  
"Well, and I don't think I've ever said this before, but I hope they do." JR finished as Jericho's music hit.  
  
The two Canadians stalked down to the ring and slid in, while Hunter and Ric made sure to stand between them and Lita.  
  
The referee gestured for them to go to their corners, herding Jericho and Christian away from the others.  
  
"I'll start in." Hunter told her, "Try and get this finished quickly."  
  
"Just remember that you can still tag me in." Lita answered. "I'll hold my own."  
  
"I'm proud of both of you." Ric told the pair. "You can win this, even if they fight dirty. I'll try and keep things under control out here."  
  
The pair nodded tightly, and Hunter slid back into the ring, signalling that he was ready to start.  
The bell rang, and Jericho moved into the ring, locking up immediately with Hunter, but found himself shoved backwards by the bigger man's strength.  
  
The pair locked up again and again, until Jericho rushed Hunter to one side, forcing the larger man off balance,  
back into his corner, where Lita took the initiative to make a blind tag, and bounce onto the top rope, executing a perfect springboard which caught Jericho right in the chest, knocking him flat.  
  
Ric kept Hunter in their corner, both watching Lita like hawks as she drilled into Jericho who had physically began to tire after his battle with Hunter.  
  
Hunter watched with bated breath as Jericho landed a hit on her, and moved to tag Christian in.  
Instead of actually attacking her, Christian shoved her out of the ring, under the bottom rope, then went after Hunter, even though he wasn't the legal entrant.  
  
Lita managed to grab the bottom rope as he shoved her, and used her upper body strength to pull her body straight,  
parallel with the ropes, which she used as additional leverage to pull herself back into the ring, trusting Ric to watch her back as she attacked Christian, she and Hunter pulling off a double DDT on the man before Hunter slid out of the ring.  
  
As Christian recovered, Lita found the every move she tried, he was able to counter, almost like he knew what she was going to do before she did it. With a growl of frustration, she lunged forward, kicking out at his thigh where her wrestling boot connected, corking the muscle. Then she did something completely out of the ordinary for her, locking his ankle in a submission hold, and lying half on his back for extra leverage.  
Hunter stood in their corner, encouraging her, and trying to work the crowd up into a frenzy behind her.  
  
Ric and Jericho were locked in a stand off outside the ring, neither moving to interfere in the ring, so long as neither of them moved an inch.  
  
Lita winced and found the arena black out for a second as pain exploded through her neck, down her spine and she released her hold on Christian, curling up to try and protect herself as the arena came back into focus.  
Molly stood in the ring, holding the Women's Title belt in her hands, holding it above Lita, moving to bring it down on her again. Purely by instinct Lita brought her feet up to meet the belt, then felt herself dragged out of the ring, fingers grasping at her shirt as the light net fabric began to tear.  
  
By wrapping one arm around her waist when she was close enough, Batista was able to make sure that Lita landed on her feet, and was well protected.  
  
He herded her over to ringside, where Lillian Garcia and several of the technicians sat, holding her in the safety of his arms to stop her from getting back in the ring, where Hunter, Ric and Randy were beating the crap out of Jericho and Christian, Molly Holly having retreated back to the top of the ramp.  
  
The bell rang, and the referee approached Lillian, telling her to declare a no-contest, while Batista and Lita met their counterparts at the bottom of the ramp, leaving Jericho and Christian sprawled in the ring.  
  
"Are you okay?" Hunter asked Lita as Batista released her into the safety of the middle of the group.  
  
"Be fine." She murmered, "Let's just get out of here."  
  
-------------------  
  
In the locker room Lita dropped down onto one of the benches, lying flat on her back on the wood.  
  
"Go have a shower." Hunter told her. "You did well out there."  
  
"Not moving." She mumbled, then winced as Ric bumped the bench.  
  
"What did you do?" Batista asked, seeing the pain on her face, dulling her normally bright, expressive eyes.  
  
"It's nothing."  
  
"What happened?" Hunter asked, dropping down beside her. "What did you do?"  
  
"Something to my neck." She said quietly, still not moving. "God it hurts."  
  
"I'm going to get the trainers." Ric told them as he moved towards the door.  
  
Lita just stayed very still, Hunter gently stroking her cheek.  
  
Ric was back after only a few moments, two trainers following him.  
  
"You'll need to move Hunter." One of them told him, bending over her.  
  
He moved to straddle the bench, careful not to place any of his weight on her, reaching under her neck to feel the vertebrae in her spine.  
A moan escaped Lita's lips as he examined them, and she fought not to move.  
  
"It's okay babe." Hunter reassured her. "You're going to be just fine."  
  
She lay completely still, her eyes closed as though she was in great pain.  
  
"Bring me the collar." The trainer told his counterpart.  
  
"What's going on?" Ric asked. "What's wrong with her?"  
  
"I don't know. I'm sending her to the hospital for x-rays. We'll know more later." He fastened the heavy brace around Lita's neck and the two trainers rolled her carefully onto a stretcher.  
  
----------------  
  
"What's happening?" Hunter fumed, "Why won't they tell us anything?"  
  
"They're doing everything they can." Trish calmed him. "We just have to wait."  
  
"I'm sick of waiting." Randy griped. "We've been here for hours."  
  
"It takes time." Stacy told them. "When she broke her neck in the first place we were here almost all night before we heard anything."  
  
"Is that supposed to make us feel better?"" Ric asked.  
  
"If they have to take her into surgery we'll know about it." Trish told them.  
  
"Why?" Hunter asked.  
  
"In the absence of a family member, I'm Lita's next of kin." She explained. "If anything happens we'll know about it."  
  
"I just can't help worrying." Hunter began to pace the hallway again.  
  
"Dumas?" A doctor asked.  
  
Trish stood up. "I'm Trish Stratus." "Good." He nodded. "She's stable now. You can go in if you like."  
  
"What about..." Ric began.  
  
"Can they come in with me?" Trish asked the doctor.  
  
"If you can keep her calm, then by all means... just don't be intimidated when you go in."  
  
Trish entered first, the others close behind. "Hey honey. How are you feeling?"  
  
"Crappy, you?" Came Lita's reply.  
  
"Holy..." Hunter began, seeing all of the machines she was connected to, and the supportive neck brace fitted around her neck.  
  
"It's okay." Lita told him. "Come here." She lifted one hand and held it out to him.  
  
Gingerly he took it and sat down next to her. "So what happened?"  
  
"I have a green stick fracture in one of my vertebrae." She told them. "It's only tiny, but there's swelling in my neck and at the back of my throat and stuff."  
  
"So you're pretty uncomfortable then." Trish said sympathetically.  
  
"In a nutshell." Lita answered, "But to be honest I'm so doped up I don't know if I'm coming or going."  
  
"Do you know if you can still wrestle?" Ric asked.  
  
"I have to go back to wearing a brace for a couple of weeks, so I'll talk to Steve and see if he'll let me go home.  
The doctors are going to monitor my progress, but they're pretty optimistic. It's basically a cartilage fracture in one of the vertebrae I haven't injured before, so it's not even a bad break."  
  
---------------  
  
"Be careful." Hunter told her, dropping a kiss on her her forehead. "Call us when you get home."  
  
"Promise." She nodded.  
  
"I'll take good care of her." Jeff told him.  
  
"Flight 461 to Raeleigh, North Carolina is boarding now."  
  
"We should get going." Lita told the small crowd of people. "I'll see you all in a few weeks."  
  
"We'll miss you honey." Trish told her, "But you take care of yourself and get better before you come back." 


	23. Chapter 23

A/N: Here we go again, another update, and another week.  
  
Let me know what you think,  
  
Samantha.  
  
----------------  
  
"This is the biggest load of crap." Randy kicked a shoe across the room.  
  
"I can't believe..." Hunter began, then stopped, staring at the open door. "Steve?"  
  
"I heard about the alterations Eric made to the tag team match. I know that I can't really do much to help," Steve shook his head. "So I thought I'd see if I could find someone to take your minds off it for a little while, maybe give you some moral support, but you know, I'm a busy man, have to get going."  
  
Lita appeared in the doorway beside him before Steve walked away. "Did you all miss me?"  
  
"Lita!" Hunter exclaimed, a smile lighting up his face as he reached out to hug her.  
  
"It's nice to be back." She choked out as Hunter hugged her, the other guys piling on. "I guess this means you missed me."  
  
"So you're all healed? No more cracks?" Ric asked.  
  
"No more cracks." Lita repeated. "They did three extra sets of x-rays to make sure."  
  
"This is great." Randy grinned. "Are you wrestling tonight?"  
  
"Vince told I didn't have to. Next week I'm going to though."  
  
"Valet for me then."  
  
"That's probably..." Ric began.  
  
"I'm wrestling Rob Van Dam." Randy reminded them. "He won't hurt her."  
  
"It would be nice to let everyone know that I'm back." Lita smiled wickedly at the three older men.  
  
"You mean you snuck into the arena." Batista grinned.  
  
"Something like that. Steve knows I'm here. He picked me up from the airport."  
  
"Excellent." Hunter nodded. "Just be careful."  
  
"I won't interfere." Lita told him.  
  
--------------------  
  
"Introducing first, the youngest member of Evolution, the Legend Killer, Randy Orton!" Lillian's voice echoed throughout the arena.  
  
"Look who's with him JR!" King exclaimed. "It's Lita."  
  
"She looks to be in fine health." JR nodded. "It's nice to see she's fully recovered from the injuries she sustained in the tag match she was involved in with fellow Evolution member Triple H, against Christ Jericho and Christian."  
  
Lita paused to speak with Randy a second on the ramp, then walked back up towards JR and King.  
  
"Lita, it's great to have you back." JR told her, standing up to shake her hand.  
  
"It's good to be back." She answered. "As much as I love Cameron, I love being back at work."  
  
"Are you wresting tonight?" King asked, "Cos you know Molly Holly's getting too big for her boots."  
  
"Next week." Lita reassured him. "I'm not allowed to wrestle tonight, but I'm going to kick her ass for that cheap shot with the belt."  
  
"Well we're glad to have you." JR told her.  
  
Silently Hunter slid into bed beside Lita, wrapping his arms around her sleeping form. She moved slightly, getting comfortable again, wriggling onto her other side so that they lay chest to chest, with Hunter's arm still around her waist.  
  
It was only when she kissed him that Hunter had any idea that she was more awake than asleep. In the dim light she pressed her lips gently against his, but it was different. Though she kissed him with a closed mouth,  
Hunter could still gauge the passion and need she was trying to convey.  
  
As she broke the kiss, he spoke. "Are you sure you want to do this?"  
  
She nodded. "I want to. I want you, more than anything else."  
  
Once the words had left her lips Hunter kissed her again, the heat of his mouth searing her lips and unconsciously she opened her mouth to him letting their tongues duel.  
  
Slowly Lita moved her hands down to his hips, resting her palms on the tops of his thighs, while his hands explored her body, making the hills and valleys sing in anticipation of what was to come.  
  
Recklessly Lita moved her hands up to the hem of her shirt and yanked it over her head, revelling in the feel of Hunter's skin against her own.  
  
Silently Hunter broke off the kiss and lowered his head to her neck, kissing his way down her throat to her collarbone and shoulders.  
  
"Hey." Hunter greeted her softly.  
  
"I was starting to think you were going to sleep the day away." Lita told him, the smile in her voice unmistakable.  
  
"Are you okay, you know after we..." He trailed off.  
  
"After we had sex?" She asked. "Yeah. I'm okay."  
  
"Good, because I didn't want you to feel... you know upset or obligated to me." Hunter told her. "If you don't want to..."  
  
He was cut off by Lita lowering her mouth to his, and kissing him again. "What were you saying?" She asked, her voice a little breathless.  
  
"Uhhh, I don't know." He smiled, pulled her against his chest and cuddling her, pleased when she let him. 


	24. Chapter 24

A/N: Here you go, another chapter heavy with Hunter/Lita interaction.  
  
Enjoy.  
  
Samantha.  
  
--------------------  
  
"Hey." Lita smiled as Hunter walked into the gym, which was empty save for her. "What's up?"  
  
"Not much." He bent down to kiss her. "What are you doing?" Hunter asked, gesturing to the way she was sitting on the mat, all curled up and twisted around.  
  
"Yoga." She answered. "It's relaxing, and good for stretching."  
  
"So I was actually looking for you." He sat down on the mat beside her. "I wanted to ask you something."  
  
Carefully she unfolded her body, and sat with her legs folded. "Ask away."  
  
"Well I don't know if you've heard yet, but the WWE Awards are coming up soon, and I was wondering if you'd come with me. Like on a date."  
  
"You want to go on a date with me, in front of the whole company?" Lita smiled. "This wouldn't have anything to do with Rene Dupree trying to ask me out yesterday, would it?"  
  
"No." Hunter answered immediately, but she saw through his bravado. "I just... I love you, and I want to be with you."  
  
"I know." She nodded. "So okay, let's go. I've actually already bought a dress." She flushed slightly.  
  
"You already bought a dress?"  
  
"Well if we weren't going together, we'd be going as members of Evolution, so I needed a dress anyway. It's a kick ass dress. Probably the only piece of really girly-girl clothing I own and like."  
  
Hunter just laughed.  
  
----------------  
  
"Uh, guys?" Hunter asked, trying to get his stable mate's attention.  
  
"You've heard about the Awards dinner?" Ric asked him excitedly. "It's going to be great."  
  
"I uh, I actually wanted to talk to you about that." He told them.  
  
"What's going on?" Batista asked.  
  
"Well, Lita knows that I like her, and we um, I asked her to come to the Awards dinner with me, sort of a proper date."  
  
"As in 'with you' with you?" Ric asked, watching as Hunter nodded. "What did she say?"  
  
"She said fine, for some reason she's really excited about going. Something about a ' kick ass dress'. I don't know,  
I think it's some chick thing. So I figured that we could organise two limos, you know, one for us, and one for you guys, and we'll all be sitting on the same table during the Awards anyway."  
  
"Sounds like a plan." Batista told him. "Good luck for you two."  
  
At that point Lita slammed into the locker room, shoving the door as hard as she could, and throwing an armful of things onto her part of the bench, clearly not in a good mood.  
  
"What's the matter?" Hunter asked her. "I thought Yoga was relaxing?"  
  
"I just got told that I'm presenting an award, two actually." She answered, slamming several more things around,  
shattering a plastic Evian bottle in her anger.  
  
"What's so bad about that?" Randy asked her, a little surprised by the uncharacteristic outburst.  
  
"Eric decided to stick it to me. Do you want to guess who I'm presenting with?" She asked.  
  
"Uh, Molly?" Ric hazarded a guess.  
  
"No." Lita told him, "I'm presenting with Matthew fucking Moore fucking Hardy." She threw the leaking bottle of Evian at the wall, showering the locker room with water.  
  
"It won't be that bad." Batista told her, "You're a professional."  
  
"Matt is the jealous type, he can get jealous of just about anything, and I know that he won't hesitate when it comes to making me look bad."  
  
"So we'll get you out of it." Ric told her. "No offense but I'm guessing that there are other divas Matt would prefer to present with too."  
  
"Yeah well, like I told you Eric is trying to stick it to me, still." She snapped, but the four men knew that her anger wasn't directed at them.  
  
"Just take it easy." Hunter grabbed her by the shoulders.  
  
"Aren't you mad about it?" Lita asked him. "Aren't you just going... ooohhh!"  
  
Her lack of words to describe the way she was feeling was enough to make the four men sit up and take notice of how frustrated and upset she was.  
  
"It'll be fine." Hunter promised her. "And yes, I am just going 'oooohhhh'. But you don't need to worry about Matt Hardy, not at all. Because if he even tries to tangle with you, he's tangling with all of us, and we'll kick his ass."  
  
She stared at him for a second. "I don't know if that makes me feel better or worse." 


	25. Chapter 25

"So where is she?" Randy asked, "I know that women are supposed to take forever to get changed, but this is ridiculous. I mean the stylist left almost an hour ago."

"She'll be out when she's ready." Hunter warned him. "You three can head off if you want. We did hire two limos for tonight, remember?"

Ric held up a camera. "We still want pictures of you two."

At once Lita's bedroom door opened slightly and she extended her hand through the gap, one finger pointing up in the air.

Hunter and Batista chuckled at her gesture, while Ric just shook his head.

"I'm almost done." Lita shouted, though she didn't really need to.

"I still can't believe that you refused to spend the day at a salon to get ready." Randy called out.

"I had my hair done." She shouted back, "In the comfort of my hotel room, now shut up so that I can finish getting dressed!"

In her room Lita stared at her reflection in the mirror. A face she hadn't seen for a long time stared back at her, make up carefully applied, hair styled with precision, each strand swept up into the elegant, yet modern style she'd chosen. The lines of her dress were long and clean, the long, sweeping skirt falling gracefully to the floor, while the unique blue of the dress brought out lilac highlights in her eyes.

"Lita, come on!" Randy whined from the other side of the door.

She picked up her purse, and opened the door as Randy moved to pound on it.

The four men were rendered speechless as they stared at her.

"Does that mean you see something you like?" Lita asked them, a smile on her face.

"You look... uh." Hunter began.

"Yeah, he's right," Ric began, "You look..."

Lita laughed. "Good thing I can still translate salivating boy talk. You guys sound like you fell back into the ninth grade."

"The car is downstairs." Hunter told her, "Do you need to do anything else?"

"Help me with this?" She asked, handing him a necklace. "Stacy and Trish took me to get acrylic nails." As if to help them understand what she was talking about she fanned her fingers, displaying her new French manicured acrylic nails.

Hunter took the necklace and moved around behind her, draping the chain around her neck and fumbling slightly with the clasp. "You look beautiful." She turned to face him and tilted her face up to kiss him, her lips soft and warm on his. As she pulled away Hunter slid one arm around her waist and kissed her again.

"Guys, just stand still so Ric can take a couple of pictures so that we can all go." Randy whined.

"I already took a couple." Ric smiled, glad so see both Hunter and Lita so relaxed and happy around one another, almost as though their relationship was an extension of their familiarity with one another.

"So who's going to be winning the Best Dressed Award tonight." Batista teased Lita, snapping Ric out of his silent reverie.

Lita just smiled and rolled her eyes. "I still can't believe I have to present with Matt."

"You'll be fine." Ric assured her. "If anything goes wrong, or he starts being an ass, we'll be sitting pretty much right in front of you. We'll knock him on his ass."

"I'm not worried about that." She lied unconvincingly. "Let's go."

Hunter slipped his arm around her waist, still amazed at how easily they fit together, her hand in his, their bodies as they lay together in bed, his bulky arms around her small waist.

"This is 'the Coach', reporting to you from the red carpet of the annual WWE Awards Evening. The night promises to be full of surprises, so stick around." Jonathan said, speaking directly to the camera he was facing. "We'll be bringing you interviews with many of our superstars, in fact, Evolution, the most decorated stable in the WWE at the moment have just arrived."

Ric, Batista and Randy got out of their limo, greeting the crowd, even moving over for photographs, and autographs, while Coach walked over to them.

"Ric, guys how does it feel to be here tonight?"

"Good." Ric answered. "It's great, the WWE awards are a great thing, I enjoy them every year."

Having gained the three superstars attention Coach asked the question he was sure everyone was thinking. "Now I notice that Triple H and Lita aren't here. Any clue on where they are?"

Randy looked out over the road and saw their limo pulling up. Without speaking he just pointed to where Hunter had just gotten out of the car, and was reaching in to help someone else out.

The woman was an absolute vision, dressed in a long blue dress, hair clustered up against the back of her head, and she smiled allowing Hunter to help her out of the car, then held his hand, a comfortable closeness between them as they walked towards the other members of Evolution.

"Are you okay?" Hunter asked Lita, the flashbulbs of cameras almost blinding as they stepped out of the limousine and began to walk up the red carpet.

"I think I'd like to borrow your shades." She answered, gesturing to the sunglasses that adorned his face, the final accessory to his well-cut black tux. "But then again I don't think they'd match this dress."

He smiled at her and she squeezed his hand as they met the others, and to Lita's disdain, Jonathan Coachman.

"Hunter, who is this?" Coach asked, "She is an absolute vision."

"I'll remember that." Lita told him, her voice edged with sarcasm.

"Holy shit, it's Lita."

"You can't say that on air with this network." Lita told him sweetly.

"Girl I would take you home to my mama in that dress." Jonathan told her, his jaw almost hitting the ground.

Lita leaned in close to him, still holding Hunter's hand, "No offense to your mom, but I wouldn't go home with you... ever."

"Baby you are da bomb." He babbled.

"Tick, tick, boom." She retorted, "Call me baby again and we'll have serious words."

"All right, all right, I was just playing with you." He told her, then turned to Hunter. "Now I can see that you two are looking pretty cozy there. Is there anything going on that the Coach should know about?"

Lita didn't bother to answer, her attention on the fans. She let go of Hunter's hand, removing a marker from her purse, and hooked the tiny bag over her arm, walking over to sign some autographs and accept several bunches of flowers that were passed to her.

"Champ?" Jonathan asked again.

"What was the question?" Hunter asked blankly, still looking after Lita, watching her carefully in case she needed her stable mates at all, though she seemed fine, happily posing for photographs and even signing a few body parts, security guards close by, and ever watchful of the growing crowd.

"Are you and Lita seeing each other?"

"No comment."

Lita smiled as she walked back over to them to stand beside Hunter, his arm automatically finding her waist. "I'll give you no damn comment." She told him with a smile, passing several bouquets of flowers to Batista. Then she reached up to slide both arms around his neck and kissed him on the mouth, her movements gentle and passionate as they broke off, Hunter repositioning his arm around her waist.

"Way to dispel any rumors." Coach remarked.

"Come on you two." Ric prompted Hunter and Lita, "We should head indoors."

"One more question." Jonathan called after the group, halting them in their footsteps. "Lita how do you feel about presenting an award with your ex-boyfriend, Matt Hardy?"

"Privilaged." Lita answered, "Matt is a great wrestler, and for a long time before he was my boyfriend, he was one of my best friends, so I feel privilaged to present with him tonight."

"Then why did you try to get out of it?"

"I wasn't sure if I'd be able to attend tonight." She answered calmly, refusing to give him the answers that he wanted, then turned on her heel and followed Batista and Randy indoors, with Hunter still by her side, and Ric bringing up the rear.

"That was the biggest load of bullshit I have ever heard." Hunter told her as they entered the room, which was noisy and already packed with superstars and divas.

"Never tell the press what they want to hear." She advised him. "They'll twist it around so that whatever you say looks bad. I just told a version of the truth and put it in a manner which he's not going to be able to twist too far from what I said."

Ric smiled and shook his head, handing Lita back some of the flowers that fans had given her outside.

"Lita!" A voice exclaimed, "Long time, no see."

At once Lita let go of Hunter's hand and reached out to hug Stephanie McMahon. "How have you been?"

"Fired, you?" Steph answered.

"Fired too, but not for long thank God. What have you been doing with yourself?"  
"Vacation. Long awaited, desparately needed, and well earned."

"I'll say." Lita agreed. "Are you coming back at all?"

"In the next few weeks. I'll be reinstated to keep Paul in line on SMACKDOWN!"

"Sounds like you've been keeping busy then." Hunter finally entered the conversation between his new girlfriend and former wife.

"You too." Stephanie told him. "That kiss on the red carpet wasn't just for show and you both know it, so if you two aren't together already, get together, you look cute."

"Thanks Steph." Lita laughed, shaking her head. "How did you know about that?"

"Oh everyone's talking about it, well that, how much of a dolt Jonathan Coachman is, and how you're taking presenting with Matt tonight." Steph shrugged her shoulders. "And also about how gorgeous you look tonight. Torrie and Sable are both absolutely livid. As usual they showed up wearing next to nothing. They're in the back with their usual groupies draped all over them, including my father." Stephanie rolled her eyes with displeasure.

Impulsively Lita reached out to hug Stephanie again, at the same time whispering in her ear, "I'm packing it."

"You'll be fine. Matt'll be too busy looking at what he's missed out on to even concentrate on presenting."

"Here tonight to present the awards for Best New Talents are Matt Hardy, and Lita." Vince McMahon introduced the pair. "In their beginnings with the WWE, both Matt and Lita recieved these awards themselves."

The pair walked out from opposite sides of the stage, Lita pausing to wink at her stable mates as she walked to the podium.

"Thank you Vince." Lita began, coming to a stop beside Matt. "It's been a long time since Matt and I won these awards, and almost as long since the last time I presented at these awards, how about you Matt?" She smiled, and waited for him to respond.

"About as long as you." He admitted, a little surpised by her happy-go-lucky, carefree attitude.

"Anyway," Lita began, chattering away to show that there was little or no discomfort between them. "Which award should we present first, the guys or the ladies?"

"Go with the girls." Matt told her, fumbling in pockets of his tux for the envelopes. "Ladies first and all."

"The nominees for best new female talent are, wow." Lita remarked. "It's a short list this year. Gail Kim, Miss Jackie and Shaniqua."

Wordlessly, she passed the envelope to Matt. "And the winner of Best New Female Talent, 2003 is... Gail Kim."

Both began to applaude with the rest of the audience, while Matt covered the microphone with one hand. "You don't seem happy about that."

"She kicked my ass, a couple of times, doubleteaming." Lita said softly, then moved to kiss Gail on the cheek in congratulations while Matt moved to hand the Asian diva her trophy.

"The nominees for Best New Male Talent are," Matt began, "Garrison Cade, Maven, Mark Jindrak, Shannon Moore, and Randy Orton."

Lita stood looking up at the screen beside them which showed clips of all the nominees. "Sorry guys, I was just watching, there's a lot of talent up there." She gestured up at the screen, taking the envelope from Matt's hands, while a chuckle went through the audience. "Oh shit," She said as she ripped the envelope, "I ripped it, oh wait hang on, it's okay, I can still read it." Everyone in the audience began to laugh, while Lita shook her head. "Okay everyone, we don't all have to point out my stupidity." Lita told them. "The winner of Best New Male Talent for 2003 is... Randy Orton." She read from the envelope, then looked up watching as Randy got out of his seat and walked up to the stage, the sounds of Evolution's entrance music pounding through the room.

Again, Lita kissed him, greeting the young athlete warmly, "Congratulations baby boy." She said quietly in his ear as she pulled away.

The four athletes stood there for several moments while the crowd applauded some more, then Gail and Randy walked off stage together, while Matt 'escourted' Lita backstage.


	26. Chapter 26

A/N: I didn't actually expect any reviews on the last chapter, it's been so long between postings, but have finally been able to install Microsoft Word on my laptop, then transfer chapter to my PC (which has the internet). Thanks guys I really appreciate it.

Samantha

When Lita appeared at Evolution's table, all four of the male members stood up, Hunter pulling her chair out for her and seating her comfortably, before the men resumed their seats.

"So how did you break them in?" A voice said somewhere near her ear as she listened politely to Randy sounding off about his new award. Lita giggled and turned to hug the person speaking.

The four men, as well as the others at their table turned to look at what was going on, while Lita stood up hugging the tall figure, the four guy members of Evolution jumping to their feet.

"What in hell are you doing here?" Lita asked the guy, "You're supposed to be resting."

"You know what it's like." He told her, "You can't just sit around forever."

"Edge, how's it going." Hunter greeted him.

"Good, yeah. I'm doing okay. My neck's taken it's time, but this time next month I should be up to competing again, then I'll know whether or not I can handle the competition again."

"I'm so proud of you." Lita told him. "I know how it feels."

"I believe you." Edge told her. "Thanks for all of your support, I really have needed it."

"We need to start our own club." She grinned, trying to downplay his words. "One just for the idiots who need neck fusion surgery. Seriously, though I wouldn't have gotten through without the support that I had, and I wouldn't have let you go it alone either." She hugged him again, ever mindful of his neck.

"I still... I wanted to say thank you for all that you've done for me." He told her, ignoring all of the people who were staring at the group. "I knew that you wouldn't want anything from me, but I got you something anyway. I'd really like it if you didn't throw it in my face in front of all of these people." Edge said the last part in a quieter voice, as he handed her a small box, wrapped in white paper and tied with a silver ribbon.

"Are you trying to tell me something?" She joked, holding the package in both hands.

"Just open it you crazy woman." Edge told her, his voice laced with affection for the pretty brunette.

Silently she slid the ribbon off the package and carefully peeled the paper back, revealing a shiny white jewelery box. "This is a little cliched you know." She said quietly as she opened the box. Inside lay a beautiful necklace the tiny sticker inside the box revealing that it was made of platinum and set, if Lita was correct, with a classic cut diamond set in locket. "This is beautiful." She breathed. "You didn't have to do this."

"I thought you'd like that. It's a locket, so if you open it, I couldn't think of what pictures to put in there, so I had our x-rays shrunk, and put in. I figured you'd like it more if it actually meant something." He told her. "I hope you do like it."

She smiled, a giggle almost escaping her lips. "It's beautiful, and thoughtful, and very appropriate, but I don't think I can accept this."

"You can." Edge told her, "You did a lot for me, and I am so grateful to to you for that. The necklace is nothing compared to what you did for me, now you can accept this."

"Thank you." Lita reached out to hug him, holding the necklace in one of her hands. "Help me put it on?"

With a smile on his face, Edge gestured for her to turn around and took the necklace from her hand, draping it around her neck. "I'm glad you like it."

"Hunter?" Lita asked. "Do you like it?"

"It looks beautiful on you." He told her without the slightest hint of jealousy.

"Li," Trish called softly, "A bunch of us are..."

Lita understood what Trish was about to say, and picked up her purse. "Excuse me guys, I should..." She made a 'leave' gesture with her hand, before kissing Edge's cheek, then kissing Hunter on the mouth. "Thank you again. It's beautiful."

"She's a really good girl." Edge told Hunter as they watched her leave the room with a handful of other divas. "Make sure you take care of her."

"I will." Hunter told him.

"Why would you buy something like that for a woman you aren't seeing?" Randy asked the taller Canadian.

"Because she's done a lot for me." Edge told him, then pulled up one of his sleeves, revealing a long scar. "In my worst time, I did that to myself. She found me, and called the nurse, even though I told her to leave me. The next day she bawled me out about it. Made me promised never to do anything, and I quote, 'So goddamn stupid as trying to kill myself, or so help me God she'd kick my ass before God came to take me, and in the end she'd leave me begging for mercy.' After that she did more than the psychiatrists did for me."

"So what did he get you?" Stacy asked Lita as they walked into the Ladies' room.

"A necklace." She answered, holding the locket out so that the others could see it.

"That is beautiful." Trish told her. "Why would he get you something like that?"

"I don't know." Lita replied. "I mean, I yelled at him a lot during his recovery. Got him so worked up sometimes that he would make the extra effort to try and get out of that hospital bed just so that he could shake me for making him so mad. That and I yelled at him."

"You yelled at him?" Stephanie asked.

"Constantly. I don't know if he wants it public knowledge, so keep it to yourselves, but he did try to kill himself at one point. So while the psychiatrists were asking him how badly he was hurting, I walked into the room and yelled at him for scaring the living hell out of me." She shrugged, "You know what he put in the locket? Miniature pictures of our neck x-rays."

Stacy smiled. "It sounds like you've been a good friend to him."

"You back already?" Hunter said to Lita as she perched on his lap and he cradled her body against his, seeing as though Edge was in her seat.

"Yeah. What did you guys find to talk about while I was gone?" She asked.

"You funnily enough." Edge grinned at her. "What exactly did you say to that nurse, I don't remember exactly."

"Do you have a prostitution licence or are you just coming onto him for the sake of it?" She asked.

"No, the other one, 'Excuse me...'"

"Oh." Lita nodded her head. "Excuse me, but could one or more of you ladies get off your asses and come take care of my friend. I think he's trying to kill himself." She nodded her head slightly. "They didn't believe me at first, so I told them that if they didn't go and check on him that I would sue them for so much their great-grandchildren would still be paying it off. They jumped up pretty quickly." She smiled, in an almost pained way, then shrugged her shoulders.

"Don't..." Hunter began.

"I shrug my shoulders." She told him. "It's what I do."

"Holy... I don't know what."

"Hey John." Lita smiled at him. "You guys all know John."

"Yeah." Hunter nodded, while Lita remained perched on his lap.

"Damn you look fine." John told her, taking her hand to kiss it in a chivalrous manner, "What have you done with my woman?"

She laughed and mimicked his two fingered rapping gesture, "Who are you and what have you done with John Cena?" She returned, gesturing to his tux, which was spoiled in part by the 'pump' shoes he was wearing, the steel chain around his neck, and the trucker hat perched backwards on his head.

"We can't all go around looking like you baby girl, that'd just be too damn hot for the WWE."

Lita smiled self consciously, then began to laugh as he continued, "I think I like your rocks better though. You wanna swap?" John moved to pull the chain over his head.

"You can keep your rocks." She answered light-heartedly, fingering her new locket. "And I'll keep mine."

"Word Life." He told her, reaching out to bump fists with her, a sure sign of their easy, comfortable friendship.

"What's old Word Life up to now?" Chris Benoit asked as John spoke.

"Just being Cena." Lita smiled. "How are you Chris?"

"Can't complain." He shrugged and leaned over to hug her.

"What is it with you people who've had corrective neck fusion surgery or whatever, and shrugging your shoulders?" Hunter asked, sounding slightly exasperated.

"We've generally spent six to eight weeks screwed to a steel frame that doesn't allow for any movement in our necks, and then three or four months in a neck collar." Chris told him. "I think it's only natural we all try to make up for lost time and lost mobility."

Lita just smiled as Hunter considered Chris's words.

"Okay, now this is what we've all been waiting for." Stephanie said into the microphone, Brock Lesnar at her side.

"This is the time of night when Stephanie and I get to present the award for Best Dressed, which is voted for exclusively by the fans..." Brock added.

"Or those of us here who had the forethought to bring a palm top computer, or a cell phone and vote for themselves countless times since the beginning of the evening." Stephanie continued. "I won't name any names... Chris Jericho."

Everyone laughed, looking over to see Jericho stuffing a palm top computer into the pocket of his tuxedo jacket.  
"Seriously, though," Brock smiled, "Steph, do you want to do the honors?" He held up an envelope made of parchment.

"No, you do it."

There was a moment's pause as Brock fumbled with the seal on the envelope.

"The winner of the Best Dressed Award for 2003 is..." Brock paused to show Stephanie what was written in the envelope.

"Good thing we didn't let her open the envelope." Stephanie chuckled. "She might have ripped this one too."

Brock shook his head at her looking amused. "The winner of the Best Dressed Award for 2003 is... Lita."

At the table, Hunter gave Lita a hug and kissed her as she stood up, then sat back down as she walked onto the stage.

Both Stephanie and Brock kissed her cheek in congratulations, with Steph giving her a hug as well, before they both stepped back to let Lita say a few words.

"Oh crap." Lita said as she looked at the award. "Who do I say thank you to? Uh, definitely Hunter, and the guys from Evolution, and uh Donatella Versace for designing my dress, because it's one that I actually like, you know, for a change. I wrote a speech, just in case I got an award tonight and I don't know what I've done with it so now I have to wing it, and to make matter worse, I wrote that speech about wrestling, so it'd still be useless. Who else do I need to thank? Oh, the people I don't want to say thank you to, Eric Bischoff, who tries to make my life a living hell every week, yeah screw you. Oh and thank you to my mom and dad, and I suppose God too, and Hunter again, because without God and Hunter I probably would have fallen flat on my face on the red carpet. Four inch heels aren't really a good idea for someone who isn't really used to wearing heels, so uh, thank you and keep having a good night everyone."

She turned away from the podium and allowed Brock to take her by the arm, Stephanie on his other side as he escourted them both off the stage.


	27. Chapter 27

Ch 21.

The four guy members of Evolution spent the next day relaxing by the pool.

Lita smiled as she dumped her towel and bag on one of the banana lounges and pulled her t-shirt over her head, then paused to unzip her skirt, dropping both on top of her other stuff, revealing a navy blue bikini.

"We didn't think we'd see you before lunchtime." Randy called to her as she walked towards the deep end.

Hunter walked over to her and kissed the top of her head, one of his hands lingering on her bare stomach in an almost possessive gesture. "Did you sleep okay?"

"Just fine." She returned his smile, and kissed him gently on the mouth.

"Do you want some tanning lotion?" Randy asked her.

"Why would I want that?" Lita asked him.

"Didn't you just come out to sunbake?" He asked, then watched as she dove into the deep end, swimming the full length of the pool before she surfaced, her hair plastered to her head and neck.

"I came here to swim." She smiled at him, then tumbleturned, and began swimming back towards the deep end using butterfly stroke.

"You're a really good swimmer." Hunter told her, after they'd watched her complete half a dozen laps, using different strokes.

Lita used her upper body strength to pull herself out of the pool. "I was on the swim team in school."

"Do you swim much now?" Ric asked.

"Not as much." Lita shook her head, sending water flying. "I don't have time. The pool is fine for a while, but I love to head down to the beach."

"What's so special about the beach?" Randy asked.

"Everything!" She replied. "There's the waves and the salt, and the wind on your skin and in your hair. I love the beach, more than probably anywhere else."

"Keep your eyes closed." Hunter told her. "I mean it, no peeking."

"Like I'd be able to see anything with your great big hands over my eyes anyway." Lita told him, her voice seasoned with sarcasm.

"Just a few more steps." He coached. "That's it, keep your eyes closed."

Lita felt his hands leave her eyes, but dutifully kept her eyes closed.

"Now, open them." Hunter told her.

The bright light stung her eyes a little, but the scene she was looking at remained the same. "It's the beach." She said softly, almost as if she was surprised.

"You said you loved to go to the beach." Hunter told her, dropping his shirt on the backseat of the car.

With a smile Lita kicked off her scuffs and picked them up in one hand, then ran down to the water's edge, still carrying them.

By the time Hunter had caught up with her, Lita was ankle deep in water, just dancing around kicking up spray at him so that he couldn't get close to her.

Seconds later he ambushed her, wrapping his arms around her waist, hands resting on her bare belly, energy radiating from her, as if she was a coiled spring. She relaxed in his arms and tilted her head back to kiss him, melting in his arms.

Her legs were smooth and already damp with saltwater, as was the tiny sarong she wore draped around her hips, but she was glowing, the wind in her hair and salt air on her skin making her seem more alive than ever before.

"Wouldn't you love to be that way." Batista said with a smile. "They look so happy."

"It helps that Hunter treats her like a Princess." Randy shook his head. "It's the beach for crying out loud."

Trish smiled and shook her head. "Someone's never been in love." She teased.

"I've been in love." He told her.

"Not head-over-heels, I-would-do-anything-to-see-her-happy in love." She told him gently. "That sort of love doesn't happen very often, but when it does you should never let it go."

"You and Lita are both so mature when it comes to that sort of stuff." Ric observed.

"What do you mean?" Trish asked him.

"Something she said just after we invited her to join Evolution. You don't need to be an adult to fall in love."

"That might explain why they're both acting like sixteen year olds." The blonde Canadian laughed.

"Who's acting like a sixteen year old?" Lita asked breathlessly as she raced over to them.

"You two." Randy told her.

She poked her tongue out at him and darted behind Batista. "He's going to wet me." Lita told them.

"What did you do?" Randy asked, suddenly amused.

"Kicked water all over him." She admitted, then raced away, Trish keeping pace with her.

"Where is she?" Hunter asked as he ran towards the others, almost soaked from head to toe.

"She got you good." Batista told him, stifling a laugh.

"Yeah, and that's nothing on how badly I'm going to get her."

The four men paused to watch as Lita and Trish dance around in the shallow water, kicking sprays at each other and laughing. Hunter found himself smile as they watched Lita spit and wipe her mouth, clearly having got salt water inside, grimacing at the taste.

While she was distracted Hunter raced down the beach and seized Lita up in his ams, carrying her into the water and dropping down, still holding her.

As the pair surfaced the others watched them kiss, salt water on their lips, mixing with saliva as the pair lost themselves for several minutes.

"Thank you for today." Lita murmered as Hunter pulled her down onto the bed, content to just curl up together.

"Day's not over yet." He grinned suggestively at her, pulling Lita on top of him.

"That is a good idea." Lita smiled, then paused to kiss him, letting her weight rest on his chest. "But I've got a better idea."

"Mmm?" Hunter stared up at her. "What would that be?"

"There's a hot tub downstairs." She answered, getting off him.

"A hot tub?" He said, considering it.

"Come on." She prodded. "When we get back..." Her voice was suggestive and he smiled as she turned away.

"Sounds good." Hunter nodded. "I guess we should change back into swimming gear." He was a little surprized as Lita's shirt hit him in the chest.

"Hurry up then." She taunted him, sliding on a black string bikini that Hunter hadn't seen on her before.

"This is so nice." Lita sighed as she slid into the warm water, allowing it to envelope her, the steam both cleansing and relaxing.

"Come sit." Hunter gestured to the space between his legs as he sat down and obediently she sat down in front of him, reclining against his chest as he brought his arms around her waist and kissed her neck.

"What happened to after?" She asked, her voice almost dreamy.

"Change of plans." He murmured, dropping several more kisses on her neck and shoulders.

"That feels good."

Carefully Hunter raised his knees a little to cradle her body, while he let go of her waist, and began to rub her shoulders, pausing to play with the ties of her bikini.

"Have I told you how much I love you lately?" Lita asked.

"I think so." He answered, kissing her ear, still playing with the ties of her bikini top.

"What are you doing?" She asked, feeling her neck tie come loose, but not really concerned.

"Taking your top off." He chuckled, but continued when she made no move to stop him. Seconds later he placed the handful of sodden material on the edge of the hot tub. Lita turned to face him, kissing him on the mouth, while under the water he ran his hands down over her hips and thighs, marvelling once more at the fact that someone so beautiful and, in his eyes, so perfect would allow him to do such crazy things with her, and to her.

She moaned into his mouth as he brought his hands up to her chest, stomach, hips, and thighs, basically giving her a whole body massage. Languidly he brought his hands around to her back, their kisses growing in intensity as he kneaded the muscles of her middle and lower back, her hands kneading gently at his waist as she broke away from his mouth to plant several kisses on his neck and shoulders, while he shifted their positions so that he was on top, with Lita's back pressed against the side of the hot tub.

"Looks like we weren't the only ones with this idea." A voice said from beside the hot tub.

Not looking concerned at all Hunter turned his head to look towards the speaker. "Guess great minds think alike."

"And how are we doing tonight?" Ric asked.

"Oh shit." Lita looked up at the others, self-consciously covering her bare breasts with one arm, even though the churning water covered her. "Hunter, what the fuck did you do with my top?"  
"I don't think we want to know." Randy looked away, as though he was slightly embarassed.

"I don't know." Hunter answered, glancing at the edge of the tub.

"As much as I love you," Lita began, "If you don't find my top in about three seconds, I'm getting out anyway, and I'll go and stay with Trish tonight."

"Is this what you're looking for?" Batista bent down and picked up the fallen bikini top from where it lay on the ground, effectively rescuing Hunter.

"Thank you." She told him, not quite game enough to reach out and take it herself.

Hunter simply reached out and grabbed the tiny triangles of fabric which made up her bikini top, and handed it back to Lita, who managed to put it back on without having to get out, tying the strings into knots. "Remind me to never let you do that again." She chuckled, adjusting the fabric over her breasts to make sure that she was covered.

"So you two were having a good time." Ric chuckled.

"Well I wasn't finding that bit too good." Lita answered, while Hunter pulled her back in front of him, dropping several kisses on her bare neck and shoulder. She sighed and rested her head in the crook of his neck, while his arms held her gently, protectively by the waist.

"So what are you guys up to?" Lita asked with her eyes closed. When no one answered she opened her eyes and stared at them for a second. "Y'all can get in if you like. It's okay."

"Okay?" Batista asked.

"As long as Hunter keeps his hands off my top, it's all good."

Hunter gave her a squeeze that made her jump.

"Play nice you two." Ric told them as the three others got into the hot tub.

"Isn't it nice just to kick back for once." Randy said quietly.

"Sometimes I think we work more than anything else." Batista nodded. "Even more than sleep."

"You get used to it." Hunter told them. "Until you're right up there everything is about training."

"And strategy." Lita nodded. "Jeff and I used to talk for hours about strategies, not only for being in the ring, and countering moves, but for really making it in the business."

"And?" Batista asked.

"Well he's most famous for jumping off ladders and stuff." She smiled. "So I don't know how much strategy played a part in that."

Ric chuckled. "But at least you had direction. That's the problem with some of these young stars. No direction. They all just come in and think 'I'm going to win the World Heavyweight Title.' No plan on getting there, just a dream."

"Sometimes dreams are the only things that keep you going." Hunter told him, and Lita nodded, both knowing the power of dreams while they were out with their respective major injuries.

"Sometimes it's the dream that gets you there." Lita told them. "It's not until you can taste it, until you've scored that pinfall that you should stop dreaming. You have to have something that keeps you going."

Hunter repositioned his arms slightly, allowing Lita to adjust her position to melt into the curves of his body.

"You two are so... I don't know." Batista shook his head. "I mean it was a little weird seing you together at first, but now I don't know. Now it's weird seeing you apart."

"Where's the weirdest place you've had sex?" Randy asked suddenly, leaving the question open to everyone.

"Us together, or just in general?" Lita asked, chuckling.

"In general I guess." Randy shrugged, leaning back against the edge of the hot tub.

"In the front entrance hall of my house." Ric answered promptly.

"On Vince's desk." Hunter chuckled. "We only got dressed about five minutes before he walked in."

Everyone laughed, knowing that the 'we' he was talking about was him and Stephanie.

"I think the weirdest place I've had sex was in the parking garage of this hotel I used to work at." Batista confessed.

"What about you Randy?" Lita asked.

"In a tree house."

"Seriously?" Hunter asked.

"Both my parents were home, and both her parents were at her place, and my car was in the shop. The tree house was the only available place."

"What about you babe?" Hunter asked Lita.

"Strangely enough, a hot tub." Lita answered, then laughed, "Just joking. Seriously... I have had sex in a House of Mirrors at a carnival once."

"You won." Ric shook his head.

"In a house of mirrors?" Randy asked.

"Don't get any ideas." She chuckled. "But it was a good idea at the time."

"Okay, have you ever taped having sex?" Batista asked.

"No, it's too private a thing." Lita answered immediately, while Hunter shook his head as well.

"Never interested me." Ric shook his head.

"Never?" Randy asked them.

"Let me guess, you have taped it." Lita shook her head. "Did the person you were with know? Because otherwise that's just perverted."

Randy was silent for a moment, then Batista spoke. "I've never taped having sex either."

They were all silent for several moments.

"Okay, your strangest sexual partner." Lita said finally, breaking the silence.

"Strangest partner?" Hunter asked.

"Duh." She answered.

"One chick wore my football helmet." Batista answered first. "She refused to have sex unless she could wear it. The ironic part was that she was incredibly beautiful."

The others laughed.

"There was one girl who begged to sleep with me, but I think she was scared too." Randy answered. "So we barely did anything."

"That's not strange." Lita told him. "She was probably just shy."

"What about you then?" Randy challenged her.

"Raven." She answered promptly. "We dated for about three months a couple of years ago while Matt and I were broken up. He was nice, and not like Matt in any way at all, and we both knew I needed that. He would come out with these poetic thoughts while we were having sex, and he was into bondage."

"Bondage?" Batista asked.

"He liked handcuffs, and whips and all sorts of kinky shit." She chuckled.

"And you're into that?" Hunter looked a little surprised.

"Some of it's okay. Whips I didn't like, but handcuffs are always fun, it depends who's in control though. Sex dice are a whole lot better."

"Sex dice?" Ric looked interested.

"They're like number dice, but on the sides they have instructions instead of numbers. I can't believe you guys don't know about this kind of stuff."

"I know a little bit about it." Hunter told her. "But I would never have pictured you being into it."

"I'm not really." She answered, reaching up to kiss his jaw. "But he was into it, so I went along with it."

"The strangest sexual partner I ever had was this woman who from the beginning to the end of sex, sounded like someone was trying to murder her." Ric answered the original question.

"Then I suppose mine was actually the girl I grew up next door to." Hunter chuckled. "From when we were about sixteen we had casual sex, you know just whenever we needed the release. We never talked about it, and I could never understand why other girls got all clingy after sex."

"Psst!" Lita said in a stage whisper, "That's called 'friends with benefits.'"

"Most embarassing thing to happen during sex." Hunter chuckled.

"My dad walked in." Randy blushed.

"I planned this really romantic night for my girlfriend, you know, dinner, candles, rose petals, everything. We were making out and, she pulled away and told me that she wanted to see other people." Batista answered.

"That's almost better than mine." Ric chuckled. "About five years ago I did that sort of thing for mine and Cheryl's wedding anniversary, and while we getting undressed, we knocked over one of the candles, which ignited our bedroom curtains and almost set fire to our bedroom."

"I got my girlfriend all ready to go, and then the phone rang about a surprise I'd organised for her." Hunter began. "So because I didn't want her to hear, I took the phone outside, and got locked out, in my boxers. The neighbors called the cops."

Lita managed to choke back laughter.

"And what's yours?" Hunter asked, nuzzling her neck.

"Most embarassing thing to happen during sex?" She repeated. "I guess it would be when my boyfriend and I were just screwing around, foreplay and all that, and he decided that he was going to play with my belly button ring with his mouth. We got stuck when one of the dangly parts on my belly ring got caught in the dental work he'd had done recently. So he tried to get up, and I started screaming because it hurt so much, I mean it feels like your insides are being ripped out, and he started screaming because he was stuck. Luckily for us we were at my mom's place, and my brother was downstairs. He heard us screaming, and after a while he came up and uh, unstuck us. He had to cut my belly ring with wirecutters. And I was so embarrassed because I was only wearing my underwear at the time."

"I thought you'd only had your belly done since last Christmas." Randy said to her.

"I was about twenty-three when that happened. I've had my belly done twice, because the first time I let it close up. My doctor told me to let it close or I'd get really sick."

"Poor baby." Hunter told her, kissing her shoulder, then moved one of his hands to play with her belly ring.

"I can't believe we get a whole week off." Randy sighed.

Hunter and Lita both sat up. "We get what?"

"You didn't hear?" Ric said to them. "Vince told Eric to give us a week off."

"Score." Lita turned to lock her legs around Hunter's waist. "What do you want to do for a week?"

"I could think of one or two things." He trailed the fingers of one hand suggestively down her chest.

"And I can think of one or two more.' She answered, openly flirting with him.

"Uh guys, if you're going to keep doing that, we're leaving." Batista interrupted.

"What about the beach?" Randy suggested. "We could get a house, and just hang out in the sun for a week."

"Or the snow." Lita said, shaking her head. "Maga, that's my grandmother, was telling me that she's got a chalet in Aspen, she bought it as an investment with someone else, but the best part is that there's no one there at the moment."

"Skiing?" Ric asked.

"Come on, skiing, tobogganing, snow boarding, ice skating, snowball fights, snow angels, open fires, hot chocolate with marshmallows." Lita sighed. "It'll be fun."

"What if I can't ski?" Batista asked.

"Then I'll teach you. It's easy. Come on, it'll be fun."

"I like snow." Hunter said, siding with Lita, "But if you guys didn't want to come you could always head to the beach."

"Not that we're trying to get rid of you." Lita interrupted.

"Love the snow." Randy confirmed.

"Skiing it is then." Ric nodded.

"Have I told you how much I love you?" Hunter asked Lita as she curled up against his chest.

"You could show me." She answered.

"Oh I'll show you alright." He told her.

"What are you going to do about it?"

"I could think of a thing or two."

"Quit all the flirting, okay?" Randy interrupted them. "It's getting scary."  
"I'm going to head back upstairs anyway." Lita told them. "If I stay in here much longer I'm going to fall asleep." Carefully she pulled out of Hunter's arms and stepped out of the hot tub, adjusting her top at the same time.

Hunter moved to get up too, but Lita put one hand on his shoulder. "Stay and hang out for a bit. I'm going to take a shower, call Maga about the chalet, and then head over to see Trish and Stacy, but I'll be back at about..." She paused to grab Randy's wrist and check the time on his watch. "Nine, but don't stress if I'm not. When I get back the rest of the night is ours." Lita promised, then moved to walk away but Hunter stopped her, and pulled her close for a kiss.

"Love you."

"Te amo tambien." She answered, a warmth in her voice that the others hadn't heard before.

"What did she just say?" Hunter asked. "I never understand when she speaks in Spanish."

"She said 'I love you too.'" Batista translated.

"That's kind of cute." Randy shook his head.

"She's gorgeous, isn't she?" Hunter said to them, not really expecting an answer.

"Too good for you." Batista teased.

"Believe me sometimes I wonder what she's doing with someone like me." Hunter confessed.

"She's a good woman, a keeper." Ric nodded. "Don't do anything to piss her off."

"I think it'd have to be pretty bad to make her leave me." Hunter answered. "She's proved that she's the loyal type."


	28. Chapter 28

A/N: I'm really sorry about the interval between updates on this story. This part (short as it is) was one of the only parts I hadn't finished. I'm finally back writing again, so keep an eye out, updates should be a little more regular from now on.

As always let me know what you think.

Samantha

"I'm sure that some of you will have heard that Evolution has been given a week off work." Eric announced at the meeting the next morning. "We are looking in to giving you all more time off, so don't get all upset, because they are not getting special privileges of any kind, and could you two please stop that?" He sounded pissed off when he finished speaking.

"What?" Lita asked, finally breaking off the kiss she and Hunter had been sharing, his hands still resting low on her hips.

"Could you two keep your hands off each other, please!" He demanded.

"It's called a jump start on vacation." Lita protested. "And I will kiss who I want, when I want for crying out loud."

"Don't you even think about taking that..."

"Don't keep speaking to Lita like that, or we will have serious words." Hunter snapped at the General Manager. "Now can we hurry this up, we have a plane to catch in an hour."

"So where are you off too?" Steve asked.

"Skiing in Aspen." Randy grinned. "Snowboarding, snow fights... what else did you pitch to us?" He asked Lita.

"Skiing, ice skating... Heaps of stuff." Lita smiled, Hunter's arms curled protectively around her. "It's going to be a lot of fun. You know we've got a ten bed chalet so if some of you guys want to come up for a couple of days that's cool."

"We'll even book your flights." Hunter nodded as Lita said something to him, then left the room.

"Serious?" Steve asked.

"Whatever." Hunter nodded, "Just let us know."

"Can we please finish this meeting?" Eric asked, looking more than a little pissed.

"Uh huh." Steve nodded, completely ignoring him.  
"Guys, we understand that you need a vacation, but the snow?" Rob Van Dam asked. "Isn't that overkill?"

"Lita likes the snow." Hunter told him, "And I quite like it myself."

"So if Lita wanted to get to Mars you'd get her there?" Eric asked.

"If there was a way, and she wanted to go, yeah." Hunter nodded. "Nothing's too good for my woman."

"You sound like Bill Clinton." Randy chuckled. "I did not have sex with that woman."

"Well that would be a lie then wouldn't it?" Hunter answered.

"Well if my sex life isn't all over the place, maybe we could go now?" Lita suggested from the doorway, looking highly amused.

"Where did you just get off to?" Eric asked, looking completely mystified.

"Bathroom, checked on holiday preparations." She shrugged, "Come on guys, car's waiting, and our stuff has all been checked and is already on the plane."

**************

"You, my girl are soaking wet." Ric told Lita, taking in her bedraggled appearance, "You must be freezing."

She beamed a huge smile, then paused, considering. "You know, I am pretty cold."

"Pretty cold?" Dave asked.

"Yeah, I'm kind of pretty freezing." She nodded, shrugging off her snow jacket, and dumping her hat and gloves on the floor, body tensing. "Guess that means I get the first shower!" As she got the words out Lita took off down the hall towards the bathroom, leaving the all the guys still standing in the entrance hall, their clothes dripping wet with snow.

"Better?" She asked, looking up as Hunter and Dave joined her by the open fire.

"Much." Dave responded. "Ric's making cocoa."

"That sounds good." Lita mumbled, already sleepy thanks to the warmth of the fire.

"Nothing like curling up in front of the fire at the end of a snow day." Ric nodded, walking into the room carrying a tray of hot drinks.

"Awesome." Randy entered the room, taking a mug off the tray as he sat down. The five of them drank their cocoa in silence, all exhausted from the day's activities. Snowboarding in the morning, and cross-country skiing in the afternoon. Ric was first to put his mug back on the tray. "I think I'll turn in early. Tomorrow's our last day to ski and I thought I might try one of the red slopes."

"Think you can manage old-timer?" Randy asked cheekily.

"Better than you, whipper-snapper." Ric answered.

"Ric's right." Hunter agreed. "We should all hit the hay. I think tomorrow's going to be awesome."

"What about…" Dave gestured to Lita, the mug almost dropping from her hands as she slept. With a smile Hunter reached out and took it from her before she dropped it, and smiled. "I'll give her a minute and put her to bed. Can you make sure our door is open?"

"No problem." Dave answered, sounding sleepy himself as he wandered off up the hall.

Hunter gently passed his hand over her hair "Lita?" Hunter said quietly. "Lita?"

"What's the matter?" She asked sleepily in response.

"Are you awake?"

"I am now." Lita sat up and cuddled the blankets to her chest, drawing her knees up.

"Sorry." He apologised.

"It's okay." She told him, her voice heavy with sleep. "What's up?"

"I love you, so much."

"Was that it?" Lita rubbed her hands through her hair.

"I was thinking, about how much I love you, and I was thinking, we should move in together."

"You want us to move in together?" She asked, shaking her head to clear some of the fuzziness.

"Yeah, Lita it'd be great, think about it, we'd never have to go home to an empty house."

"Yeah," She began, waking up a little more. "But where would we live?"

"We'll buy something, a new house so that we can decorate together and everything."

"That sounds good." She smiled, sleep beginning to crowd her thinking. "You know what else sounds good?" She held her arms up in a clear gesture. 'Carry me.'

**************

"You suck!" Lita laughed and tossed her head, red hair flying all over the place.

"I do not." Randy insisted. "It wasn't my fault."

"It wasn't your fault that you skied into Ric and Dave and knocked them on their asses?"

"I hit a rock."

"Nice try." She giggled. "You lost control. I've never seen anything so funny."

"Funny my ass." Randy responded.

"Yeah," Hunter finally intervened. "And we got the whole thing on video."

"No!" Randy looked horrified.

"Yep." Lita grinned. "Can you say, America's Funniest Home Videos?"

"You wouldn't."

"Oh we would." Dave laughed as they entered the meeting room.

"You would what?" Eric asked, looked both annoyed at the interruption, and curious as to what they were talking about.

"We totally would send footage of Randy skiing into Ric and Dave to America's Funniest Home Videos." Lita answered with a grin.

"Now that I have to see." Trish smiled, reaching out to give Lita a one armed hug. "It sounds like you had a great time."

"Yeah, we did." Hunter agreed, looking fondly at his girlfriend.

***************


	29. Chapter 29

A/N: Another chapter out! Yay me!!

Let me know what you think.

Samantha.

***********

"Please Hunter? I really liked that house."

"Honey, you liked it because it was right on the beach. It was a dump. We'd be fixing it up for the next ten years." Hunter answered.

"But it was a conveniently located dump." Lita pressed, then sighed. "You're right. It was a dump."

"Babe we just want something we're not going to have to do a lot of work to." He wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "We will find the right place."

"But I want the right place now." She answered. "I want to be able to decorate it, and live there with you."

"And all of your pets?" Hunter grinned. "We haven't even decided where we want to live."

"I know."

"We will find something that we both love." He assured her. "And when we do, we'll buy it."

"Are you two still on the house thing?" Randy asked as they walked into the Evolution locker room.

"Yes." Lita answered.

"Still no luck?" Ric asked.

"None. Not even a smidgen of luck." She agreed.

"You'll find something eventually." Ric patted her on the shoulder.

"I know."

"So what's the word flying around?" Lita asked the others. "Anything awesome, or funny? Or anything really cool, like Molly Holly falling down some stairs and having to vacate the Women's Championship."

"Lita!" Randy admonished her.

"So I've been hanging around you guys too long." She answered. "It'd make my week."

Hunter grinned at her. "It's nice to know we've rubbed off on you."

"Well, some parts of you have." She answered cheekily.

"Keep it in the bedroom." Randy shook his head. "It's like hearing my sister talk about sex."

"Grow up Randy, and get yourself a girlfriend." Lita told him.

"And just why would I settle for one, when I can have them all?" He asked, arrogance evident in his voice.

"You make it sound like sleeping with you is a rite of passage." She shot back.

"All right you two." Hunter intervened.

"He started it." Lita pouted, sitting up.

He responded by kissing her pouting lips. "Does anyone have any news?"

"You know I heard there's a new guy joining the roster." Ric told them.

"Big guys or little guy?" Hunter asked.

"Don't know." Ric responded, "But there is definitely a fair bit of hype around him coming in."

"Good hype?" Lita leaned back on one of the benches, stretching her right leg above her.

"What I've heard is all good. They say he's got solid skills in the ring. A real technical guy."

Hunter laughed. "I say he can just bring it on. I'll kick his ass any day."

"That's because you're the champ, Champ." Flair answered. "I'm just giving you a heads up."

Lita lay back on the bench and closed her eyes, wriggling until she felt comfortable.

"Is there any chance that you're going to move so I can put my shoes on?" Randy asked.

She opened one eye, "Pretty slim to none."

"You're a pain in the ass you know."

She grinned. "But I do it so well."

"Are you two arguing again?" Dave asked sounding a little exasperated.

"No," Lita answered, closing her eyes again, and wriggling her shoulders again to get comfortable. "Randy was just saying that I could stay here while he puts his shoes on over there." She made a sweeping gesture with her hand that described most of the room.

"Just play nice for five minutes you two." Ric told them. "Five minutes of peace."

"I can manage that." Lita answered, "I plan to be very zen for next half hour."

Randy stifled a laugh as he sat down on the bench next to hers to put his shoes on. In response Lita reached out blindly and whacked him.

"Ric, Lita hit me." Randy tattled.

"Did not." She responded.

"Five minutes you two, just five minutes." Ric warned them.

"He started it." Lita responded.

"And I'm going to finish it." Hunter interrupted, bending down to scoop her up. "You and I are going to get some coffee."

"But… zen moments." She protested.

"I'll buy you a cup of zen coffee." He responded.

"But I want zen zoning out moments."

Hunter chuckled as she continued to wriggle in his arms. "Baby we don't always get what we want."

She stilled in his arms. "Don't I know it." She pouted. "Still, this is a very good place to be." With a grin Lita wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head in the crook of his neck.

"Do you want to hop down?' Hunter asked as he carried her down the hall.

"I guess." Lita nodded. "It is comfy up here though."

He put her down and reached his arm around her shoulders. "Have I told you how much I love you today?"

"I have a really bad memory." She smiled coyly.

"I love you, so much."

"More than your title?"

"Way more than my title." He agreed. "If I really have to, I can live without my title. I know that I can't live without you."

Lita stopped walking and looked up at him. "You can't live without me?" Her voice was small, almost surprised.

"I can't live without you." Hunter repeated. "And I don't ever want to have to try." He staggered as she jumped up into his arms and kissed him hard on the mouth. "I love you too. So much... I don't know what I'd do if you weren't in my life." Hunter was surprised not just by her words, but also by the tears tracking down her cheeks. "Hey, I didn't mean to upset you."

"I'm not upset." Her words came out croaky and stressed, full of emotion. "I'm just really glad to hear you say what I feel." She tightened her arms around his chest holding tight, and feeling secure as he did the same. "We are pretty damn good together, aren't we?" He said quietly.

"I know we are." She nodded her head against his shoulder. "It's just really good for us to remind ourselves of it every so often."

"So same time tomorrow?" He joked, but Lita knew that he understood the power of the moments they had just shared.

She pulled away and took his hand, "So you remember you promised me coffee, right?"

"Do I have to buy that sludge you drink?"

"What is wrong with liking strong coffee?"

Hunter faked a shudder. "I'm not even going to get into it with you."

"You know, this is really good coffee."

"I know. Only the best for my girl."

"I love how easy it is for us to talk."

Hunter grinned, holding his coffee in one hand and Lita's hand in the other. "What else do you love?"

"I love how your hands are huge, but they fit mine. I love how we can be on the same page without even realising it. I love going to sleep knowing that you're right there with me, and waking up knowing that you'll be there too." She laughed. "And I love that you know me, that you know the things that I like, and when I'm cranky, or frustrated, or just plain upset. I love that you're always here for me." Hunter dropped a kiss on her forehead and sighed. "We should get going. The pre-show meeting will start soon."

Lita groaned, "I'd much rather spend the time here with you."

"Me too. But Ric said this new guy's starting tonight. I wanna get a good look at him."

"You're right." She nodded.

"Hey, while we're on crappy subjects, you really need to stop all this bickering with Randy." Hunter told her

"I did not start it." Lita answered. "I finished it."

Hunter chuckled and squeezed her shoulder. "I know, but please, just for Ric's sanity, could you and Randy keep a lid on the bickering for a while."

She smiled and leaned against him as they walked. "Just for Ric? Not even a little bit for you?"

"Maybe a little for me." He allowed.

"Do you think you could make it worth my while?"

He grinned and kissed the top of her head. "I think I could figure something out."

"You're late." Eric glared at them as they entered.

"Sorry?" Lita responded.

"Yes, well my newest superstar is running a little late, so we haven't started. Take a seat and don't let it happen again." Hunter and Lita made their way over to where the rest of Evolution had saved them seats.

"Where were you two?" Randy asked. "You said you were going for coffee."

"We did." Hunter answered, "Then we went for a walk. Is that okay?"

"Ric didn't know what to do with all the quiet in the locker room." Dave chuckled. Lita poked her tongue out at him.

"I thought you only did that to me." Hunter teased, squeezing her waist, surprised as she stiffened when the newest RAW superstar walked in. "Do you know that guy?"

She shook her head slowly, unable to take her eyes off the guy, not even to look at Hunter. "I've never seen him before." As she spoke Eric stood up and greeted the man, then turned to face the assembly of superstars and divas. "Everyone, meet Seth, the newest addition to the RAW roster." He introduced a tall man, his skin the colour of honey, hair dark. "Seth is named after someone from Egyptian mythology."

"Destroyer of boundaries, betrayer of blood, embodiment of chaos. The one who transcended evil before evil was named." Lita said quietly, and many people turned to stare at her.

"Clever girl." Seth praised her, examining her closely with his eyes. "Where did such a pretty little thing like yourself learn that?"

She stared at him for a moment, then spoke, but not to him. "Batista venir con mi." She pulled away from Hunter and without speaking Batista walked out of the room close behind her. *Come with me.*

"What was that about?" Steve asked, looking at Hunter.

He didn't answer, but sat there with a strange look on his face until the meeting was called to an end.

When Hunter, Ric and Randy walked into the Evolution locker room, Lita and Batista were both inside. Lita with a book open in her lap, but it was clear she wasn't reading from the expression on her face as she stared off into space, as though there was something important on her mind.

Batista on the other hand was stretching, but only it seemed, to cover the fact that he was keeping an eye on her.

"What's up with you?" Hunter asked, dropping down to kneel in front of her, pushing the book to one side.

"I don't like him." She answered quietly.

"The new guy, Seth?" Ric asked.

"Lita you just met him." Randy told her.

"I didn't like him either." Batista told the others. "There's something not right there."

"What didn't you like about him?" Ric asked, looking between them.

"The way he looked at me." Lita shivered involuntarily. "His eyes. Just stay away from him okay, I don't trust him."

"That's overreacting a little."

"I don't think it is." Lita told him. "Have you even met someone, and just felt like... I don't know… I feel like he's a threat."

"Sweetie..." Hunter began.

"Look, don't worry about it. I'm going to go over and see the girls."

************

"Trish I need your phone." Lita was almost in tears as she walked into the diva's locker room, sliding the latch on the door behind her.

"Ivory will be back in a second." Gail Kim told her.

"Then she can stay outside." Lita answered, leaning against the back of the door, her breathing a little ragged, panicked.

"What's the matter?" Stacy asked, slipping her arm around the brunette.

"I just, please, can I borrow a cell phone for a minute?" Lita repeated, and with a strange look on her face, Jackie handed her a bright pink cell phone.

"Thanks." She said quietly, then dialed.

"Evolution." A voice responded as the phone was picked up.

"Hunter?" Lita asked.

"Ric Flair." The voice corrected her.

"Ric, it's me, is Hunter there? Or Batista?"

"Yeah, both of them. Lita what's the matter?" He asked, sounding concerned, which was all the others needed to hear to look up.

"Can you guys just come see me, please? I'm in the diva's locker room."

"We'll be there in a second." Ric promised. "Just relax okay."

"What's going on?" Hunter asked, a tinge of worry in his voice.

"Lita's in the divas locker room, and she doesn't sound too good. She wants us to go there." Ric answered, hastily following Hunter and Batista out the door.

With shaky hands Lita put the phone down, and sat down on one of the benches.

"What happened?" Trish asked, and then jumped, as there was a series of loud bangs on the door.

"Who is it?" Lita called, her voice shaky.

"Baby it's me." Hunter's voice answered, "Can you open the door?"

Lita nodded, not saying a word, and Trish crossed the room to slide the bolt back, stepping away as it was flung open.

"Lita? Babe what's wrong?" Hunter asked, moving quickly to her side, Ric and Batista close behind.

"The new guy, Seth, just jumped me in the hall."

"He what?" Hunter asked, looking shocked.

"He grabbed me, shoved me against the wall, and he licked me."

"He licked you?" Ric asked.

"He licked my face." Unconsciously she rubbed one hand over her cheek, where she could still feel his tongue.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Batista asked, looking almost as furious as Hunter.

"He frightened me." She admitted, running one hand through her hair.

"Shh, it's okay." Hunter promised, hugging her to him.

"We both tried to tell you." Batista shook his head, "That guy is just not right."

"He seemed fine to me." Molly told him.

"Call it intuition." He answered her. "But I know, and Lita knows that he is no good at all."

"He was probably just trying to work out if you're single." Victoria shrugged.

"By walking around and licking people?" Ric asked. "Yeah, I'll remember that next time I want to pick up."

"You don't go anywhere without one of us." Batista said suddenly.

Lita, in spite of the relieved look that passed over her features, huffed and walked into the bathrooms.

"Are you sure that's necessary?" Trish looked a little surprised.

"I think this Seth is a psychopath." He responded.

"You're serious, aren't you?" Ric stared at him for a moment.

"The guy is seriously creepy. I'm not going to wait until he does something worse." Batista told them, asserting his stance on the issue.

Hunter nodded. "I'm with you. Let's do it then, will we stay with her all the time, or should we hire some bodyguards for her?"

"Keep it as us just for now." Ric decided. "We don't want to frighten her anymore that she already is."


	30. Chapter 30

A/N: Sorry about the time lapse between chapters, have been crazy busy with uni and work.

Sorry, Samantha

"With him?" Lita whined. "Can't someone else come with me, please?"

"Spending time together might just be good for you." Hunter told her. "I'd come if I could, but I've got to finish up all the travel plans for the next month…unless you don't want a nice hotel suite to sleep in."

"I'll sleep on the floor." She volunteered.

"Baby at this rate we won't even have a floor to sleep on." Hunter told her. "Now Randy is perfectly capable of walking you down to meet up with the girls for a cup of the sludge you call coffee." He looked down at the piles of handwritten notes in front of him. Lita didn't move, simply stood there pouting, waiting for him to change his mind. Hunter spoke again, not even looking at her. "Don't pout, I'm not changing my mind. You and Randy are both adults. You can walk down a couple of hallways together."

She pouted more. "I'm not pouting."

"I can hear you pouting." He responded, still not looking at her. Across the room Ric, Randy and Batista tried to hide their grins.

"You know what, fine. I am an adult, and I can walk down a couple of hallways with Randy. Fine." She glared at Hunter, still wrapped up in his preparations, then pouted again and walked towards the door. "Are you coming?" She looked pointedly at Randy.

"Of course." He responded, knowing that his over-the-top politeness would irritate her. Lita glared at him in response.

"You know, it wouldn't kill you to be nice to me." He told her, as they wandered back to the Evolution locker room, fresh coffees in hand.

"Same to you." She shot back. "It's not my fault you're so immature."

"I'm the immature one?"

"Yeah, you are." Lita answered. "Just because you're the youngest of all of us doesn't mean you can act like a spoilt little kid."

He shook his head. "I don't act like a spoilt little kid."

"You so do."

Randy gave her a sidelong look. "I'm not the one who was pouting to get out of walking to the cafeteria and back with me."

"I wasn't pouting." She told him. "I was simply…"

"Trying to use your feminine wiles to make Hunter and the guys do what you wanted? Now who's childish?" He grinned, knowing he was right.

"That's not childish, it's very grown up." Lita responded. "It takes years of practice."

"Well, I think you need some more practice then."

She pouted, and then wiped the look off her face as he shot her an arrogant look.

"I knew I could make you do it." With a silly grin on his face, coffee in hand, Randy began a victory dance.

"You suck, you know that." She responded, shaking her head. "Every extra minute I spend with you makes me want to strangle you."

"Now that's one I hadn't thought of." Seth's creepy voice came from the shadows. He emerged holding a steel chair in one hand. "But then, you are my inspiration."

As soon as Seth had started speaking Randy stopped dancing and used his free hand to guide Lita behind him, placing himself between her and Seth. Almost casually Seth walked out of the shadows, swinging the chair from one hand to the other. "Oh God." Lita whispered, fear robbing her of her voice.

"Just stay behind me." Randy told her, and then looked at Seth, "What do you want?"

"Want?" He responded, still swinging the chair, then stopped, taking a threatening stance. "I want to hurt you." His words were directed at Randy, and as soon as they left his mouth, Seth rushed forward and made to hit Randy with the chair, aiming for his head. With no other way to block it Randy reached out, trying to grab Seth's arms, at the same time yelling for Lita to run, even though Seth was between them and the exits. Randy looked around for a weapon, another exit, anything that could help them, but Seth had far too much control over the situation. Unexpectedly Seth brought the chair the chair down again, catching Randy with the blow across his shoulder. He grinned maniacally as Randy staggered, and followed that shot up with several more.

"Oh my God! RANDY!" Lita screamed, horrified as Seth hit him again with the steel chair, which had become little more than a twisted hunk of metal during the assault. "SOMEBODY HELP!"

As Seth left Randy, and began to move towards her, Lita began to back away, refusing to let him see her cry, even though she desperately wanted too.

"Go away. Just go away." She said softly, almost under her breath, and as he reached for her, Lita felt the wall, hard up again her back, and closed her eyes.

When he didn't touch her, Lita opened her eyes, and then stared in shock at the image before her, Kane holding Seth by the throat, about to choke slam him to hell.

"Are you okay?" He asked, in that strange, almost eerie voice of his.

She nodded wordlessly, unable to move otherwise.

Lita screamed when Kane choke slammed Seth onto the hard concrete floor, but felt a sense of relief as Seth lay there, sprawled out and unmoving.

Slowly Kane walked over to her, reaching one hand out. "It's okay now." He told her gently, leading her towards him so that he could give her a hug. "Did he hurt you?"

She shook her head again, and then pulled away suddenly. "Randy, he kept hitting Randy, and I couldn't stop him." She dropped to her knees beside the still young superstar, and ran her hand down the side of his face. Blood trickled out of the corner of his mouth, though he was still breathing. Lita looked up towards Kane, to ask him to find some help, but the Big Red Machine had already gone. She looked around the empty walkway, equipment was stored against walls, several shipping containers had been dismantled to make extra space, and others provided dark alcoves full of costumes, props, and electrical leads. The space was dim, lit only by a handful of overhead lights on pull-switches. She shook her head, trying to calm herself, trying to decide what to do. Moving Randy out of there on her own was not an option. Going for help herself wasn't a great idea, either. Seth might wake up, and who knew what he'd do given a second chance. Randy was unconscious, but still breathing. Blood seeped from a handful of cuts to his face, and from his mouth and nose. Though she was no expert his shoulder looked in bad shape too. Dislocated maybe. Bruises were already beginning to form on his arms and hands, from where he'd tried to grab the chair and missed. She shook her head again, seeing him like this, so badly injured, all because Seth was a psycho who had some weird fixation with her made her want to cry. With a grimace she blinked back the tears that threatened to fall, threw her head back, and began to yell. "HELP, somebody! Help me!"

Finally, after what seemed like an age, someone responded. "Who's there?"

"It's Lita," She shouted back, "Please help me."

"Hey kiddo, what's… going on?" Chris Jericho finished as he entered the hallway and saw both Randy and Seth laid out cold on the floor, Lita sitting by Randy's side, holding his 'good hand.'

"Chris, did you figure out who was yelling?" Another voice called from outside.

"Yeah Christian," He called back, "Go get some help… and get Evolution. And Christian, hurry." They listened to Christian's running feet for a moment, then Chris walked over to Seth to see how badly he was injured. Seeing no major injuries he moved towards to Lita and Randy, shrugging his coat off as he walked. At her side he wrapped it around her shoulders, and put one arm around her, trying to still her shaking. As he applied pressure, and moved to hug her with both arms, something broke in her. "He won't wake up Chris, he won't wake up. I've been trying to wake him, but I can't."

"Christian's gone to get some help." He soothed her, smoothing one hand over her hair. "He'll be back soon. You just hang in there. I'm not going anywhere."

"Lita?" A voice called from down the hall, sounding frantic. "Lita, are you okay?"

She looked up, towards the speaker, her voice shaky. "I'm okay, but Randy needs help. I think we need an ambulance."

"There's one on the way." Christian told her, following Hunter into the walkway. "The ambulance is coming."

"Thank God!" Hunter reached out to her and drew her into his strong embrace. She buried her face in his neck, Chris's jacket still wrapped around her shoulders.

"What happened?" Hunter asked.

"He got some of what is coming to him." Kane's voice rasped from the shadows near the doorway.

"Kane?" Lita asked, turning in Hunter's arms to face him.

"You're okay now." Kane told her, then turned and walked away. "Eric will be here soon." She nodded and pulled out of Hunter's arms to kneel next to Randy's still form.

"What happened?" Hunter asked again, dropping down next to Lita while Ric and Batista checked Randy.

"Seth jumped us." She said softly. "He started hitting Randy with a chair, and Randy was telling me to run, and I couldn't because he made sure to keep us both in a corner. Then Randy just stopped moving. God is he going to be okay?"

"We've called an ambulance." Batista reassured her, "But it's probably just a really bad concussion."

"What about Kane? Why was he here?" Hunter asked.

"He saved me. Seth went to grab me and then he didn't. When I opened my eyes Kane was holding him by the throat and I watched him choke slam Seth."

"Are you okay?" Hunter asked, concern on his face.

She nodded. "I don't think I've ever been so scared. I thought Seth was going to kill him."

"He's still just messing with you." Batista told her. "If he'd really wanted to hurt Randy badly, Randy would be in worse shape than he is now."

"I'll never forgive myself if he's not okay." Lita said softly.

Hunter placed his large hands on her shoulders. "This is not your fault. Seth is a psycho. He did this because he's a psycho. It is not your fault." She leaned forwards into his arms, knowing that she should believe him, but somewhere deep down still feeling that it was her fault. "If he's okay I'll never fight with him again."

Ric snorted. "You mean it?"

"Every word."


End file.
